The world was stunned. Nobody could believe what the screen showed: Will Smith approached Chris Rock at an accelerated pace and hit him after the comedian did a bad joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness. It constituted an unprecedented scandal for the history of the 2022 Oscars to the point that the organizers tried to censor part of the episode by cutting the audio of the controversy.
Smith, visibly furious, cries out to Rock not to talk about his wife, who suffers from a disease that causes her hair to fall out. The audio, meanwhile, continues to be banned by the Academy's production. Minutes after the violent and unthought altercation, the broadcast went to a commercial cut. But what happened at that time?
Entertainment columnist Scott Feinberg relayed on his Twitter account what happened: “During the commercial break, Will Smith is separated and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who beckon him to let off steam. Will seems to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits down again with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will's representative by his side,” the journalist wrote.
Rock was a guest presenter at the 2022 a href="https://www.infobae.com/tag/oscar-2022/" rel="noopener noreferrer" Oscars that took place this Sunday, March 27, but what he never imagined was that he would be slapped in the face by Will Smith in the middle of his announcement of the award for “Best Documentary”.
It all happened when performing a brief previous comedy routine. Rock made a joke comparing Jada Pinkett Smith's short hair to Demi Moore's shaved hair character in the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” (“Up to the Limit” in Latin America, “Lieutenant O'Neil” in Spain). When the cameras focused on Smith and his wife's face, they were still laughing. However, Rock decided to make a joke about Jada at that time that unleashed the anger of the Oscar winner. “Jada, I love you. 'G.I. Jane 2′. I can't wait to see her,” said the American.
At that moment, Smith burst onto the stage and hit the comedian to the surprise of all the attendees and the audience. After the attack, Rock could only say, “Oh, uh.”
Smith returned to his seat next to Jada. From there he shouted some obscenities and shouted at the driver: “Keep my wife's name out of your damn mouth!” His face was serious, almost dislodged. Rock just replied, “Oh, wow.” For viewers at home, the censors silenced the verbal part of the exchange between Rock and Smith.
It should be noted that Pinkett Smith has been open about her fight against alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes the fall of the hair.
The theater fell silent, and Rock said, “That was the best night in television history.” Sean “Diddy” Combs took the stage later and told Smith and Rock that they would sort things out “like a family” later. According to Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, present at the theater, Smith, tearful, must have been “set aside and comforted” by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry during a commercial break.
“Will and Chris, we're going to settle this as a family. Right now, we're moving on with love,” said singer and actor Sean “Diddy” Combs, presenting the next section of the gala.
Oscar winner
After this incident, which was classified as a scandal and embarrassing show by the also known 'Prince of Rap' on social media, Will Smith won the short list for Best Actor at the 2022 Oscars. Upon receiving the award, the actor took the opportunity to indirectly ask for an apology for his attitude rather than who helped him star in the already viral moment.
“I want to apologize to the Academy, to all the nominees in my category. It's a beautiful moment, I don't cry about winning an award, it's about giving light to people, the whole King Richard team and the entire Williams family.” He added: “I look like the crazy dad as they used to call Richard, but love makes you do crazy things. I want to be able to take care of my mom, my family and my wife, thank you for this moment, I hope the Academy will invite me again,” said Will Smith after receiving the trophy.
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