Chris Rock got rocked at the 94th annual Academy Awards show after making a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
While Will can first be seen laughing at the joke about Jada’s bald head, once he saw her reaction, where she rolled her eyes and definitely was not laughing, he took action. The then-Best Actor nominee walked right up on stage while Chris was still laughing and slapped the taste right out of his mouth.
It was a moment that Oscars viewers thought might have been staged, but it didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t a joke, and Chris was just as surprised as the rest of us after getting hit in the face.
For Oscars viewers, the big question was, “What will come next?”
Will Smith went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard, and it was a well-deserved win where he apologized to the Academy for his behavior, but he did not apologize to Chris Rock. Instead, he declared that “love will make you do crazy things.”
Watch Will Smith accept the Academy Award for Best Actor below.
Chris Rock chose not to file a police report
After the slap that has now taken over in terms of Oscars coverage, Variety reported that Chris Rock will not be filing a police report and will not be pressing charges against Will Smith.
A statement from the Los Angeles Police Department reads: “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs says Chris Rock and Will Smith have made amends
During his moment on the Oscars stage, Sean “Diddy” Combs said that he would help Chris Rock and Will Smith work out their differences. As the live audience and viewers at home were still gasping in shock from what had just occurred, Diddy told everyone, “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve this – but right now, we’re moving on with love.”
It didn’t take long for Diddy to confirm that Rock and Smith have, in fact, moved on.
Following the eventful end to the Oscars, Will Smith and his family headed to the Vanity Fair party to celebrate his big win. That’s where Diddy told Page Six that Will Smith and Chris Rock squashed their beef.
He said, “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” before adding, “It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
I do not agree with violence, but I commend Will Smith for standing up and defending his wife who went through a great deal of emotional suffering with the loss of her hair as any woman would. Chris Rock was disrespectful using her health issue to humiliate her in front of millions for a laugh.
Will could have done more but just a gentlemanly slap without the glove. He did his wife proud for defending her. Many men would not do that.