Will Smith's slapping of Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday night might have been a beef some six years in the making.
The actor was seen striding onto the stage and taking a big swing at Rock, after which Rock stood there, seemingly stunned at what just happened. This exchange occurred right after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness, intimating that she was getting ready to star in "G.I. Jane 2."
—Variety (@Variety) March 28, 2022
In the 1997 movie "G.I. Jane," Demi Moore shaves her head bald in the starring role.
Pinkett Smith has been public about her struggles with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. In 2018, she released an Instagram video detailing the condition.
After Rock made the joke, Will Smith strode onto the stage and hit him.
"Oh, wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me," Rock said, reeling, with a shocked expression.
Smith was then seen looking irate back at his seat and yelling at Rock twice to "keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth."
This beef might have its roots in a 2016 incident, when Rock also hosted the Oscars. During the comedian's opening monologue at the 88th Oscars, he made jokes about both Smith and his wife, taking jabs at Pinkett Smith for boycotting the event over the lack of Black nominees.
"But what happened this year? People went mad. Spike got mad. Sharpton got mad. Jada went mad. Will went mad. Everyone went mad," Rock said during his monologue, referring to Spike Lee and the Rev. Al Sharpton. " Jada said she's not coming — protesting. Isn't she on a TV show? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties — I wasn't invited."
"That's not an invitation I would turn down," Rock continued. "But I understand. I understand you're mad — Jada's mad her man, Will, was not nominated for 'Concussion.'" Rock said, referring to Smith's 2015 football film.
"I get it. Tell the truth, I get it. It's not fair that Will was this good and didn't get nominated. It's also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for 'Wild Wild West.'"
