Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
- Not too long after, Smith went on to win the best actor honors for his role as Richard Williams in “King Richard,” per The Associated Press.
What happened: Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance, saying that he was excited to see “G.I. Jane 2” — a reference to Pinkett Smith’s thin hairline.
- Smith — who laughed at the joke, while Pinkett Smith did not — then marched onto the stage and smacked Rock across the face.
- As he returned to his seat. Smith called out, “keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth.”
- Sean “Diddy” Combs went onto the stage and said Smith and Rock would settle everything “like family” later, per CNN.
Worth noting: Per People magazine, Pinkett Smith “suffers from the autoimmune disorder alopecia, which attacks hair follicles resulting in bald spots and hair loss,” per People magazine.
Yes, but: Later in the night, Smith was announced as the winner for the best actor award for playing Williams — the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams — in the film “King Richard.”
What he said: “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said.
- “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,” Smith said during his acceptance speech. “I know to do what we do you’ve got to be able to take abuse. You’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you’ve got to smile and pretend like that’s OK.”