The crowd was stunned at the 94th Academy Awards when Will Smith and Chris Rock had an unexpected on-stage confrontation. As Chris Rock entered the stage at the Oscars to deliver the best documentary prize, he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, the actor’s wife. Will laughed a little at first, then Jada was spotted rolling her eyes. Will quickly walked up to the stage and smacked Chris across the face.
“Javier Bardem and his wife are both nominated. Now, if she loses, he can’t win,” Rock started his piece, adding, “He is praying that Will Smith wins, like, please, lord. Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, all right?” As the joke received a tepid response, Rock added: “That was a nice one!”
Jada has already spoken publicly about her diagnosis of alopecia, or hair loss. She originally went out about it in 2018, and she has since shared her struggles with the ailment on social media. She claimed she had opted to cut her hair short after finding handfuls of it in the shower. “It was one of those moments in my life when I was genuinely trembling with terror.” “That’s why I chopped my hair, and why I’ll keep cutting it,” she explained. It’s an autoimmune condition that affects hair follicles, causing bald areas and hair loss.
“Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) lips,” Will said after slapping Chris. Will’s voice was plainly audible despite the lack of a microphone on him. “That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Chris concluded at the end of the conversation.
During the commercial break, Daniel Kaluuya approached Will to embrace him, and Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage, according to the Associated Press. Tyler Perry joined them in talking and hugging. During one of the commercial breaks, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban talked with Will and Jada, according to the agency.
Will went on to win his first Academy Award shortly after. For his role in King Richard, he received Best Actor. Will apologised to the Academy and spoke about the value of family in his life in his acceptance speech. “I want to apologise to the Academy… to all my fellow candidates,” he stated. Art imitates life, and I resemble my crazed father!… “When you’re in love, you’ll do insane things.” In the film, Will plays Richard Williams, the father of tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams.
“Richard Williams was a staunch protector of his family,” he continued. I am overwhelmed by what God is calling me to do and be in this world at this time in my life, in this instant. I had the opportunity to protect Aunjanue Ellis while making this video, and she is one of the strongest and most gentle women I’ve ever encountered. Saniyya and Demi, the two women who played Venus and Serena, were assigned to me to protect. In my life, I’m being asked to love people, to defend people, and to be a river for my people.”
“I understand that in order to perform what we do, you must be able to take abuse. You have to be able to get people to speak about you in a weird way. You have to be able to put up with people insulting you in this profession. And you have to grin and seem as though everything is OK.”
