Will Smith wins first Academy Award after slapping Chris Rock.
A tearful Will Smith has won his first ever Oscar, just minutes after rushing on to the stage and slapping comedian Chris Rock in the face.
It was a pretty 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.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, who won the best actor gong for his role in biopic King Richard, was reacting to a joke Chris Rock had aimed towards his wife, Jada Pinkett.
Referring to Pinkett Smith’s shortly shaved hair, Rock said: “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2.”
Smith then walked up onto the stage, slapping the lights out of Chris Rock before returning to his seat and shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”
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Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.
He had this to say:
“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 the commercial break was on, Smith and Pinkett could be seen being comforted by actor Denzel Washington.
A little later in the night, Smith was announced as best actor, and 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 is the role of Richard Williams, the determined father of a young Venus and Serena Williams that has bagged him the prize.
On getting to the podium to receive his award, Smith amongst others, had this to say:
“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 apologies 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.”
He finished off, thanking his family and wife: “Thank you for this honour, thank you for this moment, thank you to the Williams family, I hope the Academy invites me back.”
Notably, with so many apologies in his speech, there was however, no one for Chris Rock.
The Academy later tweeted:
“The Academy does not condone violence of any form”.
Raising dissenting views that Will Smith may be penalized, or even have to give up his award for slapping Chris Rock.
While many were not sure if the moment was staged or real, it is 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.
However, a video clip resurfacing on Twitter, shows Chris Rock already moving away before the slap got to his face, suggesting falsehood in the entire slap sagger.
Nevertheless, one thing certainly is for sure. And it is the fact that it was a night that will go in the history of television, as a memorable night.