'The Slap:' Did Will Smith Really Just Smack Chris Rock's Face At Oscars?

There was no shortage of drama at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night as actor Will Smith smacked Chris Rock across the face.

What Happened: The tense event took place after Rock, who was on stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary, cracked a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. 

Rock could be heard saying “Oh Wow!” after he was hit. He said, “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.”

After delivering the smack, Smith walked back to his seat. He then shouted at Rock from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”

Rock said, “I’m going to.” The stand-up comic told Smith that the piece that offended the latter was as a “G.I. Jane joke.”

It isn't immediately clear if the act was staged. The uncensored exchange between the two as shown on Japanese television was shared by a Twitter user. 

VIA JAPANESE TELEVISION: The uncensored exchange between Will Smith and Chris Rock pic.twitter.com/j0Z184ZyXa

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 28, 2022

Terms like "The Slap," "Good For Will," and "Staged" trended on Twitter at the time of writing. 

Why It Matters: While the violent and expletive-filled exchange was muted in the United States, that was not the case in Japan or Australia.

In 2012, Smith punched a male Ukrainian reporter who tried to kiss him on the lips after attending a red carpet event in Moscow, according to a CBS News report. 

At the time, Smith said, “He's lucky I didn't sucker punch him.” Smith said it was “good” that he said that on camera amid a crowd of journalists and fans.

This year’s Academy Awards were held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, hosted by Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer, and Regina Hall. Other presenters at the awards include Jake Gyllenhaal, Jill Scott, and Serena and Venus Williams.

This year’s Best Picture nominees include “Belfast,” “Don’t Look Up,” and Apple Inc’s AAPL streaming arm-linked “CODA.”

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