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Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock on the Oscars Stage After Jada Pinkett Smith Joke

At the 94th Academy Awards, comedian Chris Rock was onstage to present the category of Best Documentary Feature.

Prior to relaying the nominations of that category, Rock joked “You know who’s got the hardest job tonight? Javier Bardem and his wife [Penelope Cruz] are both nominated. Now, if she loses, he can’t win! He’s praying that Will Smith wins, please! Lord!”

Rock then added, referring to Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, “Jada, love ya! G.I. Jane 2. Can’t wait to see it, alright.” Jada, who recently revealed she suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes loss of hair, did not appear to have liked that joke about her.

Smith then walked onstage, approached Rock, swung his right arm and slapped Rock’s face.

Rock replied, “Will Smith just slapped the shit out of me.”

After returning to his seat, Smith twice yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!” Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o who sat nearby Smith looked visibly surprised at the moment.

A suddenly flustered Rock commented afterwards: “That was, uh… greatest night in the history of television.”

During commercial breaks, celebrities like Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry, and Nicole Kidman all approached the Smiths to comfort them.

Smith would soon after win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, the father of tennis phenoms Venus and Serena Williams, for the movie “King Richard.” Smith delivered his apologies to the Academy (but not to Rock) for his conduct, and mentioned what Denzel Washington had just told him: “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.”

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