From Eminem’s surprise performance to Moonlight’s Best Picture mix-up in 2018, the Academy Awards – AKA the Oscars – has seen its fair share of unexpected events.
However, all these moments have been surpassed by the confrontation between actors Will Smith and Chris Rock at this year’s show.
At the 2022 Academy Awards, Smith shocked everyone by slapping Rock on stage.
The assault was allegedly in response to a joke Rock made about the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Smith tearfully apologised for his actions while receiving his Best Actor award about 40 minutes later. However, his fellow actors criticised his behaviour, and the Academy officially condemned the assault.
The ceremony for this year’s Oscars was held on 27 Mar evening (28 Mar in Singapore), during which actor Chris Rock took to the stage for a comedy routine.
As part of his stand-up, he remarked that Jada Pinkett-Smith resembled the movie character G.I. Jane due to her shaven head.
Pinkett-Smith has opened up about her struggle with alopecia, an auto-immune disorder that results in hair loss.
Actress Sophia Bush was among those who publicly denounced Rock for making fun of the condition on social media.
Naturally, Smith took offence at Rock’s comment, but we’re pretty sure no one thought he would actually go and give the latter a hard smack on the face.
Rock then joked about the incident, saying,
That was the greatest night in the history of television.
While producers cut the audio for the show, a Japanese broadcast showed that Smith shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”
About 40 minutes later, Smith won Best Actor. During his acceptance speech, he broke down in tears and apologised to the Academy as well as his fellow nominees for the assault.
“Love will make you do crazy things,” he said.
I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees.
He explained that, like his award-winning role in King Richard, he too is a “fierce defender of his family”.
However, he stated that he is also aware of the need to maintain decorum in the industry.
The reactions to the onstage clash between Smith and Rock have been plenty. Many seem taken aback by the shocking turn of events.
Several actors have also condemned Smith’s behaviour.
Star Wars actor Mark Hamill stated in a tweet that the scene is probably the “Ugliest Oscar Moment Ever”.
Another comedian, Kathy Griffin, also criticised Smith’s actions as “bad practice”.
She states in a post on Twitter,
Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith.
The Academy released a statement of their own, declaring that the institution “does not condone violence in any form”.
The now-viral confrontation between Smith and Rock will be remembered for years to come. Never before has a fight been publicly broadcasted during such a high-profile event.
The violence used by Smith has been deemed unnecessary, both by his fellow actors, the media, and the general public. However, auto-immune disorders should also not be mocked under any circumstance.
Hopefully, this conflict between Smith and Rock gets ironed out soon and comes to a satisfying conclusion.
What did you think of the 2022 Oscars? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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Featured image adapted from NBC News on Youtube and Mark Hamill on Twitter.
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