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It was an eventful night at the 94th Academy Awards — with many left wondering if Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face, before shouting and swearing at him from his seat, was all some kind of joke.
A tearful Will Smith has won his first ever Oscar, just minutes after rushing onto the stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock in the face.
The former Fresh Prince, who won the best actor gong for his role in biopic King Richard, was reacting to a joke Rock had aimed towards Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Referring to Pinkett Smith’s shortly shaved hair, Rock said: “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2.”
Smith can be seen initially laughing at the joke, however, Pinkett Smith rolls her eyes and, clasping her hands, looks unimpressed with the jibe.
Rock adds:“That was a nice one, alright”, but as he goes to continue, he then begins to falter, saying “Uh oh” as Smith gets up from his seat and approaches him.
Sitting directly behind Smith, actress Lupita Nyong’o reacts to the unfolding situation, glancing between Smith and Rock several times in disbelief at what she’s seeing.
Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.
He says: “Oh wow, Will just smacked me.”
He then says: “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”
Introducing the next set of presenters, Sean Coombs joked about the testy moment, saying: “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the gold party.”
While many weren’t sure if the moment was staged or real, it’s possible that Rock’s reference to Pinkett Smith’s hair touched a nerve with Smith, as she has recently spoken publicly about a struggle with alopecia following her diagnosis in 2018.
Pinkett Smith has shared videos on social media talking about the autoimmune disorder, which can cause hair loss and balding. Saying in the past she “struggled” with it, but now “laughed” and refused to “take it lying down”.
During the commercial break, Smith and Pinkett Smith could be seen being comforted by actor Denzel Washington.
When, a little later in the night, Smith was announced as best actor, he received a standing ovation from the crowd.
The 53-year-old had been nominated for a gong twice before in his 30-year career. But it’s the role of Richard Williams — the determined father of a young Venus and Serena Williams — that has bagged him the prize.
Accepting his award, a tearful Smith said: “Ah man. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and to be in this world.”
He went on to talk about “protecting” the young actresses in the film, Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton.
Calling them “the strongest and most delicate people I’ve ever met”, he went on: “I’m being called on to love and protect people, and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse . . . You got to smile and be like ‘That’s OK’.
“Denzel (Washington), he just said to me, at your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you. I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena for entrusting me with your story. I want to be an ambassador for that kind of love and concern.
“I want to apologise to the Academy and to all my fellow nominees, this is beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award, it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.”— Sky.com
Online Reporter