Will Smit slapping Chris rock at the Oscar / Reuters

On March 27th, at the American Academy Award Ceremony, also known as the Oscars, American comedian Chris Rock's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's short hair offended her husband, actor Will Smith (France & Elam, 2022). According to France& Elam (2022), while handing out the award for best documentary, Rock cracked a joke. Rock remarked after the joke didn't go over well. Pinkett Smith has talked about her battle with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. 

As quoted by France and Elam (2022), Smith then walked up to Rock and slapped him on the face. According to France& Elam (2022),  Rock said, "That was the greatest night in television history," as the theater fell silent. Smith won the best actor award less than an hour later for his portrayal of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in the film King Richard (Al Jazeera, 2022). 



Smith has apologized to Chris Rock for hitting him during the live broadcast following backlash. "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," the winner of the best actor Oscar wrote on Instagram. 

Despite Smith's expression of regret for the incident, the vast majority of people find it upsetting. Chris, on the other hand, handled the situation excellently without resorting to violence against Smith. According to the video, the celebrities in the audience were cheering for what Smith did, which is completely unacceptable.  Smith is a well-known actor whose performances have earned him the respect and affection of his peers and fans. No one expected him to act this way, especially at a live event broadcast to millions of people. However, what we know is that this "video is going to be there forever". 

                                                                          Reference

Al Jazeera. (2022, March 29). Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock over Oscars slap. Cinema News | Al Jazeera. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/29/will-smith-apologises-to-chris-rock-over-oscars-slap

France, L., & Elam, S. (2022, March 28). Will Smith hit Chris Rock on Oscars telecast. CNN. Retrieved March 30, 2022, from https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html