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Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the Oscars? Watch the uncensored moment in full
28 March 2022, 11:44 | Updated: 29 March 2022, 09:16
Watch the full confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock live on the Oscars stage after gag about Jada Pinkett Smith
The 94th Academy Awards saw the dramatic event take place, which saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock. Watch it uncensored in full.
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The 94th Academy Awards took place last night (Sunday 27th March) in the first full-scale Oscars ceremony since the pandemic.
It was a historic night, which witnessed various firsts and saw Will Smith pick up the award for Best Actor In A Leading Role for his role in King Richard.
However, the ceremony was overshadowed by the actor choosing to slap Chris Rock on stage after he made a G.I. Jane joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Violence is never justified, but find out what went down and why Will Smith may slapped Chris Rock.
READ MORE: Oscars 2022 winners in full
Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock?
The King Richard star reacted to Chris Rock making a joke about his wife Jada Pickett Smith's hair loss, referencing the 1997 film G.I Jane. Jada Pinkett has recently opened up about her struggles with alopecia and shaved her head. However, fans are also speculating that the issues began when Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith's boycott of the Oscars when he was hosting it in 2016.
WARNING: THIS CLIP CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE SOME USERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE:
Watch the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, drops F-bomb
What did Chris Rock say about Jada Pinkett Smith?
Other than comparing Jada to G.I. Jane, fans are linking Will Smith's venom towards the comedian to his jokes when he hosted the 2016 Oscars. In his opening monologue, he mocked Jada Pinkett and Will Smith for boycotting the awards amid the #OscarsSoWhite scandal. Not only did he suggest Jada Pinkett wouldn't have been invited, but he also mocked Will's accent in the film Concussion.
Watch the clip of Chris Rock in 2016:
— 🍄Onyii⁷🍄 (@yoongiskeys) March 28, 2022
Did Will Smith apologise for slapping Chris Rock?
Will Smith went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for King Richard just 40 minutes later. In his emotional speech, he apologised to the Academy, but not to Chris Rock. He has since issued a public statement apologising to the comedian, the Williams family and the King Richard family.
Watch his tearful acceptance speech in full:
Will Smith’s Oscar acceptance speech about protecting people and loving people is worth the listen. pic.twitter.com/V9JAGknctQ
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 28, 2022
Taking to Instagram Will Smith released a fresh statement apologising to Chris Rock, the Academy, the Williams family and the King Richard Family.
His statement began: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was 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. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
The Fresh Prince star continued: "I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
'I am a work in progress.
"Sincerely,
"Will".
Has Chris Rock pressed charges?
According to reports, Chris Rock has not pressed charges against Will Smith over the incident.
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program," the department said in a statement, according to Variety. "The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
Has Chris Rock responded?
Nothing has been heard from the comedian yet. Watch this space.
