At the 2022 Oscars, Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Which resulted in an altercation between the actors in which Will slapped Chris on stage.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith – a moment that has since gone viral.
Celebrities have since reacted to the altercation. Which made viewers uncomfortable and prompted The Academy to issue a statement saying it “does not condone violence in any form.”
What did Chris Rock say to Will Smith at the Oscars about Jada Pinkett Smith, and what did the G.I. Jane joke mean?
Chris took the stage at the Oscars and joked about Will winning best actor over another nominee before bringing up Jada.
“I love you, Jada,” he said. “I can’t wait to see you, G.I. Jane 2,” Jada says, rolling her eyes at the joke.
The G.I. Jane joke refers to a 1997 action film starring Demi Moore as Jordan O’Neil, who shaves her head to become G.I. Jane in order to cement her position as a Navy Seal.
Chris’ swipe at Jada’s buzzcut hairstyle made her roll her eyes. As she had previously discussed her decision to shave her head after suffering from alopecia.
Will walked onstage after the joke about her medical condition and slapped the comedian before sitting back down.
Chris responded with a ‘wow,’ adding, ‘Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’
Will then yelled twice from his seat onstage, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”
Later in the evening, during his Oscar acceptance speech, the husband of Jada went on to apologize to his peers and The Academy, saying, “Love will make you do crazy things.”
Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock on Instagram.
On March 29, the day after the Oscars, the King Richard actor issued a public apology to Chris Rock, the Academy, and the Williams family.
Will tweeted his statement to his 61.7 million followers, writing: “All forms of violence are poisonous and destructive. My behavior at the Academy Awards last night was both unacceptable and inexcusable.”
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.”
