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Chris Rock and Will Smith have continued to make headlines ever since the latter slapped Rock onstage at the 94th Academy Awards for making a G.I. Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Hollywood insiders told Page Six that the incident reportedly left the entire Dolby Theatre shocked:
“Suddenly everyone froze and the whole place was, like, what the f—k happened? There was a sense that something was wrong with Will. I heard Chris’s manager Jason Weinberg say, ‘I’ve got to deal with the LAPD now. I have to find out what is going on’, then he walked out.”
The source also said that people were concerned about Rock and wondered if Smith’s hit left a mark on his face:
“Everybody was saying, ‘Holy s—t.’ Even the bartenders. The gravitas was not lost on anyone. There were people saying, ‘Oh, my god, poor Chris’. People were wondering if Chris’s face was red because he was flush or because he was hit.”
Several celebrities like Bradley Cooper and Denzel Washington were also seen comforting Smith during the commercial break.
Following the incident, Smith was seen returning to his seat shortly before receiving the Best Actor award. Meanwhile, Rock continued with his presentation duties and rushed back offstage to speak with the producers and the LAPD.
The comedian reportedly refused to press any legal charges against Smith but did not face the media after the incident. Reports suggest that Chris Rock went to his friend Guy Oseary’s annual Oscars party after the ceremony while Smith headed to the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty with his family.
A look into the aftermath of Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Oscars 2022 fiasco
Will Smith and Chris Rock’s slapping incident at the Oscars 2022 took the entire entertainment industry by storm. Shortly after Smith hit Rock, the latter was heard saying:
“Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me.”
Although ABC reportedly cut the sound of their interaction following the incident, the live audience and a few international viewers heard Smith yelling:
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”
Several photos from the venue also showed Rock attempting to speak to Smith from the stage. Sources told Page Six that the comedian said he was only there to present the award:
“Whoa, whoa, OK, I hear you. I’m just here to give out the Oscar.”
The insider further stated that Chris Rock was “shaken” after getting offstage and left the venue after speaking to the LAPD and the producers:
“When he got offstage, he was a bit shaken. He was taken into a side room and talked to producers and LAPD. Then he went to the writers’ room and spoke to his guys and left. I mean, these are guys he has worked with for years. No one thought there were any issues with the jokes.”
The source also confirmed that Rock did not have a mark or sign from the slap on his face. The comedian reportedly refused to press charges against Smith. The LAPD also issued an official statement regarding Rock’s decision:
"LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. 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."
Meanwhile, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson, Oscars Producer Will Packer, and Academy President David Rubin reportedly walked into a private room with Smith’s longtime publicist Meredith O’Sullivan Wasson “with great seriousness” after the incident.
However, Smith remained seated in the hall and also acknowledged the situation during his acceptance speech for the Best Actor award. During the commercial break, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper were seen comforting Smith while Nicole Kidman was seen giving him a hug.
Actor Denzel Washington was also one of the first people to walk up to Smith to offer him a few words of wisdom about the situation. Shortly after, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs addressed the situation onstage and attempted to peacefully move on through his performance. He said:
“OK, Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the Gold Party, OK? But right now we are moving on with love. Everybody make some noise!”
While O’Sullivan Wasson returned to the theatre and was seen speaking to Smith during the commercial break. The latter also remained seated inside the venue after receiving his award instead of going backstage to the press room.
As per Radar, Chris Rock also avoided the press after the incident and was escorted out of the venue:
“Backstage was full of approved press, which is why great efforts were made to make sure no one saw or photographed Chris. Press was told to lower their cameras and not to record him as he was quickly escorted from his dressing room to his car.”
Rock then decided to head to Guy Oseary and Madonna’s star-studded Oscars afterparty. Sources told Page Six:
“He’s OK, he went to be with his best friend. Bottom line — you don’t hit people, it was a joke.”
Insiders also told the publication that Chris Rock was having a good time at the party and did not seem bothered by the incident:
“You wouldn’t really know anything had happened. He was talking about it, just saying it was crazy, but it didn’t seem to be bothering him at all.”
Similar reports were provided by additional sources to Entertainment Tonight:
“Chris was at Guy’s [Oseary] party and was having a good time. He didn’t want to let the incident with Will ruin his night out with friends. Chris was still in shock by the whole incident and didn’t want it to become a whole thing at the party so he didn’t talk too much about it.”
Another source told Vanity Fair that Rock even joked about the incident after going backstage:
“That's the only time you get hit by Muhammad Ali and it doesn't leave a scratch.”
The Saturday Night Live alum also posed for photos with Woody Harrelson, Robert De Niro, Sacha Baron Cohen and Guy Oseary at the Oscars afterparty. Meanwhile, Will Smith was seen with his family at the Vanity Fair Oscars party.
Although Diddy told Page Six that Will Smith and Chris Rock are “brothers” and worked through their issues, sources later mentioned that the duo did not get a chance to interact after the incident.
Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock?
On March 28, 2022, Chris Rock took to the stage at the 94th Academy Award to present the award for Best Documentary Feature. In the process, he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head and said:
“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see you.”
Last year, Pinkett Smith revealed she was diagnosed with alopecia in 2018 and decided to shave off her hair due to the condition. In his joke, Chris Rock likened Pinkett Smith’s appearance to Demi Moore’s character G.I. Jane, who shaved her head in the 1997 movie of the same name.
In response to the joke, Will Smith got up onstage and slapped Chris Rock across the face. Although the moment appeared to be choreographed at first, it was later revealed to be serious when Smith asked Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth.
Shortly after, The Pursuit of Happiness star received his Best Actor award for King Richard and presented a tearful apology to the Academy and his fellow nominees. He later issued a separate apology to Rock on social media.
Inside sources told Page Six that the joke about Jada Pinkett Smith was not part of Chris Rock’s rehearsed speech and was decided by him on the spot. However, insiders also claimed that the comedian was not aware of the former’s condition prior to making the joke.
