Harry Fletcher
Apr 02, 2022
Oscars
Itâs been days since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, and still itâs the only showbiz story people are talking about.
The strangest, ugliest moment in recent Oscars history will continue to make headlines and provoke discussion for years, and it feels like an era-defining moment for all the wrong reasons.
In the world of celebrity culture, there was life before Will Smith slap, and there was life after it, and its impact will rumble on and on.
We should recap what happened, just in case anyone managed to miss it.
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Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary when Smith stepped onto the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and proceeded to hit Rock, following a joke heâd made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
âWill Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,â Rock said at the time, before Smith shouted: âKeep my wife's name, out of your f***ing mouth."
Since then, itâs the only thing people have been talking about, and there have been plenty of revelations to emerge since then.
This is a timeline of all the events surrounding the biggest slap in showbiz history.
Sunday evening â Smith slaps Rock
The incident itself came after Rock began by making a G.I. Jane joke at the expense of Smith's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith while onstage to present the Best Documentary award.
Smith was presumably upset given the reason for his wife's short-hair; she's battled with alopecia for years.
"Jada, can't wait for G.I. Jane 2,â Rock said, making a reference to her shaven head.
The actress previously spoke about her decision to shave her head after being diagnosed with the condition, including during a 2018 episode of her Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk.
âIt was terrifying when it first started⦠I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, âOh, my God, am I going bald?ââ
Smith, despite appearing to laugh at the joke initially, walked on stage and slapped Rock, leaving him stunned â with the footage later showing just how dazed Rock was left by the incident.
Later that evening â Smith wins Best Actor for his performance in King Richard
A short time later, Smith was able to walk onto the stage again, this time to collect the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard, having been consoled by Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper.
Smith offered an apology to the Academy, but not to Rock, and also appeared to make light of the incident with a joke about âart imitating lifeâ and âlooking like the crazy fatherâ.
The speech read: âDenzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, âAt your highest moment, be careful, thatâs when the devil comes for you.â I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena ⦠and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story.
âThatâs what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern. I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and Iâm not crying for winning an award. Itâs not about winning an award for me; itâs about being able to shine a light on all the people ⦠and the entire cast and crew of King Richard and Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams! But, love will make you do crazy things.â
During the ceremony â Smith asked to leave but refuses
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has since said that Smith was asked to leave Sunday's Oscars but refused.
It comes after many questioned why Smith was allowed to remain seated in the front row at the Academy Awards after the incident. On Wednesday, the Academy suggested that it attempted to remove the actor from the audience.
âThings unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,â the Academy said. âWhile we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.â
Monday morning â Smith apologises in lengthy social media post
Smith later publicly apologised to Rock, writing in a statement on Monday that his behaviour was âunacceptable and inexcusableâ.
Smith wrote: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour 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.
"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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
"I am a work in progress."
Monday â Smithâs mum says sheâs âsurprisedâ by slap
Smithâs mum has said she was âsurprisedâ upon seeing her son slap Rock in a statement released the next day.
Smithâs mother, Caroline Bright, told Philadelphia news station Action News: âHe is a very even, people person,â adding that she was âsurprisedâ by his actions.
âThatâs the first time Iâve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime,â she said. âIâve never seen him do that.â
She added that she was âproudâ of Smith following his Best Actor win on the night.
Monday â Jada Pinkett Smith breaks silence
Pinkett Smith has shared her first social media post since the incident on Instagram.
The post didnât give much away and simply stated the following words against a pale pink background: âThis is a season for healing and Iâm here for itâ.
Monday â Richard Williams criticises the slap
Richard Williams hit out at SmithJim McIsaac/Getty Images
The real-life tennis coach portrayed in King Richard by Will Smith, Richard Williams, distanced himself from the film star's on-stage antics with a statement on Monday evening.
In a statement to NBC News via his son and spokesperson Chavoita LeSane, Williams said: âWe donât know all the details of what happened. But we donât condone anyone hitting anyone else unless itâs in self-defence.â
Tuesday - False claims spreading online are called out
Thereâs been a whole lot of disinformation spread in the aftermath of the incident, including a fabricated letter of apology attributed to Rock.
The biggest false claim said that Rock issued a public apology for his joke about Jada Pinkett Smithâs shaved head, saying he âcrossed a line that I shouldnât have and paid the enormous price of my reputation as a renown comedian.â
It was one of the claims refuted on Tuesday.
Wednesday - âOutragedâ Academy promises âappropriate actionâ
The Academy promised âappropriate actionâ against Will Smith in a letter obtained by Variety, after the fallout from Sundayâs ceremony.
Academy leadership has said they were âupset and outragedâ that Smithâs actions overshadowed what was meant to be a âcelebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year.â
Signed by president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, the letter read: âTo be clear, we condemn Mr Smithâs actions that transpired Sunday night.â
âAs outlined in our bylaws, the Academyâs Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr Smith,â they wrote in the letter sent to Academy members, adding, âThis must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.â
Wednesday evening â Chris Rock breaks silence
Not surprised @chrisrock is getting a standing ovation at his first outing after Oscar assault and battery. Calm is indeed a super power. #ActRight pic.twitter.com/2ZJEWakeb4â SEGA L'\u00e9veilleur\u00ae (@SEGA L'\u00e9veilleur\u00ae) 1648706410
Rock spoke about the incident for the first time in his opening comments to the audience at his show in Bostonâs Wilbur Theatre, beginning by saying: âSo⦠how was your weekend?â
After the crowd greeted him with a standing ovation, Rock, continued: âLet me be all misty and s***â, with tears in his eyes.
âI donât have a bunch of s*** to say about that, so if you came here for that...â Rock added, saying: âI had written a whole show before this weekend.
âIâm still processing what happened, so at some point Iâll talk about that s***,â the comedian also said on Wednesday, adding, âItâll be serious. Itâll be funny, but right now Iâm going to tell some jokes.â
Friday - Will Smith resigns from the Oscars Academy
Smith stepped away from the organisation for his âshocking, painful, and inexcusable" actions, saying he felt "heartbroken" and had âbetrayed the trust of the Academyâ.
The Academy confirmed it had received the actor's resignation and would push forward with disciplinary proceedings against him, the details of which are to be discussed at a board meeting on April 18. Smith said he would accept any consequences that emerged from his scheduled disciplinary hearing.
On Friday, Smith apologised again to his fellow nominees and winners for having âdeprivedâ them of the opportunity to celebrate their achievements on the night.
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