Watch the exact moment Will Smith went on stage to smack Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife
After the awards show ended, the Academy of Motion Pictures issued a statement on Twitter
Reportedly, the conflict was not staged nor was it part of the show. It occurred after Rock pointed out Jada Pinkett Smith in the crowd and said, "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," referring to her bald head.
At first, Will Smith appeared to be laughing but Jada, who was diagnosed with alopecia in 2018 and has been vocal about her struggles about not being able to grow her hair, rolled her eyes at the joke and Will then walked up to Rock on stage and smacked him.
About 40 minutes later, Smith won the Academy Award for best actor for his performance in King Richard, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. He referenced the moment while accepting it.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family," Smith said.
"I've been called on in my life to love people and to protect people, and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. And have people talk crazy about you. People disrespect you and smile like it's OK."
"I wanna apologize to the academy, I wanna apologize to all my fellow nominees," Smith said with tears in his eyes during his Oscar speech.
He did not, however, mention Rock's name in his apology.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that they are aware of the incident and that Rock had 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," the police explained.
