In one of the more bizarre, unsettling moments in Academy Awards history, Will Smith walked on stage to, seemingly, slap Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife. Rock poked at Pinkett-Smith about her alopecia, saying that he couldn't wait to see her in G.I. Jane 2. And, following his wife's obvious displeasure at the comment, Smith interrupted Rock's presentation of the Best Documentary award, taking a swing at Rock's face.
When the actor returned to his seat, he yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth." Rock was visibly stunned by the exchange, but ultimately continued on with his presentation. Less than an hour later, Smith went on to win the coveted award for Best Actor. Honoured for his role in King Richard, the actor played the somewhat controversial figure, tennis coach and father, Richard Williams. In his acceptance speech, Smith gave a nod to the father of Venus and Serena Williams, adding that Richard's own outbursts weren't too divorced from the exchange that happened between himself and Rock. "Art imitates life," Smith said. "I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things."
Social media had a strong reaction to everything that followed Rock's presentation as the room and Internet attempted to wrap its collective head around the chaos.
Smith was visibly shaken during his speech, eventually breaking down into tears and noting that Oscar winner Denzel Washington comforted him during the break, saying, "Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, 'At your highest moment that’s when the devil comes for you.'" The night ultimately ended on an awkward note, with Jessica Chastain and CODA taking home the evening's final awards, very much in the shadow of the altercation.
Justin Kirkland is a Brooklyn-based writer who covers culture, food, and the South. Along with Esquire, his work has appeared in NYLON, Vulture, and USA Today.
