The Oscars 2022 will go down in history as a night of historic victories and divisive controversy. The night witnessed several prestigious wins however, the prestigious awards show was thrown into disarray when Hollywood actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock following a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
The incident happened on Sunday night after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, saying, “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya.” The remark was made about Pinkett’s hair matching Demi Moore’s shaved head in the film G.I. Jane. Pinkett recently opened up about her bald head, admitting that it was caused by alopecia, a condition she has battled for years. She appeared unimpressed by the joke, rolling her eyes from her seat.
Smith happened to have been laughing at the joke but noticed Pinkett was unhappy. Seconds later, Smith walked onto the stage and smacked Rock in front of the audience and millions watching at home. Smith returned to his table and yelled to a surprised Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth”.
Later in the ceremony, when Smith won Best Actor, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but did not mention Rock. He spoke about acting out of love and protection. In his tearful statement, he said, “Love makes you do crazy things.”
On Monday, 28th, Smith issued a lengthy statement on Instagram acknowledging he was wrong to strike Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” Smith wrote. He continued, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he added, “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Rock has however not said anything since the event. He declined to press charges, and the comedian’s representatives have not responded to press requests for comment.
