"He could have killed him": Judd Apatow's deleted tweet on Will Smith and Chris Rock slapping incident sparks controversy online

Judd Apatow receives flak online after tweeting about Chris Rock and Will Smith's Oscars 2022 incident (Image via Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images & ABC)

Following the shocking incident at the 2022 Oscars, comedian turned director Judd Apatow expressed his opinions on Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock. At the event, Rock presented the Academy Award for 'Best Documentary' on-stage while he made a joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, correlating it to a hypothetical sequel, "GI Jane 2."

Responding to the joke towards his wife, Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock. Later, Smith won the Best Male Actor Oscar and apologized for his behavior. However, his apology was not directed towards Rock.

The incident spawned shocking reactions from many celebrities at the event and on social media. Following the incident's virality online, The King of Staten Island director ranted against the "violent" behavior of Will Smith. However, Apatow later deleted his chain of tweets featuring his opinions towards the Smith X Rock slapping incident.

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What did Judd Apatow say about the "slap incident" between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the Oscars 2022?

Around the end of the Oscars event, Judd Apatow took to Twitter to warn his Trainwreck star, Amy Schumer, who also hosted the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday. The 54-year-old New York native publicly alerted Schumer and claimed that Smith would want to talk to her about the monologue at the Vanity Fair's Oscars afterparty. In the same tweet (since been deleted), Apatow suggested that Chris Rock should sue the King Richards star for compensation.

Later, Apatow addressed a Twitter user who sided with Will Smith's reaction and elaborated that Jada Pinkett Smith had alopecia which caused her hair loss and shaved head. In the tweet (which has since been deleted), the renowned comedy director wrote:

"He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence. They've heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not (a) freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind."

In another tweet (since deleted), Judd Apatow labeled Smith a 'narcissist.' He questioned how the joke was offensive and elaborated that "GI Jane was gorgeous."

Apatow's deleted Tweets (Image via JuddApatow/Twitter)

The director, producer, screenwriter, and comedian further insinuated that Serena and Venus Williams' family would be "furious" with Smith's demeanor, who won the Oscar for portraying their father in King Richard.

Apatow also added:

"Seems like Will Smith's plan to get comedians and the world not to make jokes about him is not going to pan out."

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Judd Apatow deletes tweets on Will Smith x Chris Rock "slapping incident" at Oscars after receiving much backlash

Following his deleted tweets, numerous users called out Apatow for continuing to work with James Franco, despite several allegations against him of assaulting women. Meanwhile, other tweets labeled the director as racist.

Another section of netizens on Twitter found humor in Judd Apatow's deleted tweets. After a severe backlash, Apatow deleted all traces of these controversial tweets and the replies he made following them.