WATCH: Stars hit the blue carpet for the VFOscars party after the Oscars ceremony
About 45 minutes later, when accepting his first Oscar for best actor for his role in "King Richard," Smith apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and his fellow nominees in a tear-filled speech, but not to Rock."I want to be a vessel for love," Smith said during his acceptance speech.
The incident began when Rock was roasting some of the nominees and made fun of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. "Oh, wow! Wow! Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me," Rock said as the audience laughed, thinking it was a skit. At that point, many stars in the audience audibly gasped or fell silent. Spectators in the mezzanine stood up and craned their necks to try to catch a glimpse.Will Smith hits at Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 27, 2022. REUTERS/Brian SnyderRock struggled to rescue the situation and get the show back on track.
Rock has hosted the Oscars twice, in 2005, when he received mixed reviews, and again in 2016 when, during the #OscarsSoWhite protests, he confronted the Academy over the lack of Black representation. Smith won this time for playing Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
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