Chris Rock Got Bitch Slapped By Will Smith On Stage At The Oscars

It is definitely not a skit.

Will Smith just won his first-ever Oscar for his performance in King Richard (2021), awesome! But before that, something epic happened…

He smacked the shit out of Chris Rock on stage.

What Exactly Happened

Chris Rock, a comedian, made a joke about Will Smith’s wife — Jada Pinkett Smith — for starring in “G.I. Jane 2”, because her head was shaved.

Those who didn’t get it, well, “G.I. Jane 2” was about a woman who shaved her head after joining the U.S. Navy; Chris Rock made fun of Pinkett Smith for that.

It did not sit well for the Smith couple.

Pinkett Smith shaved her head because she was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, alopecia, and this disease causes hair loss. She had publicly revealed her struggles dealing with this diagnosis back in 2018.

After Rock made that joke, Will Smith walked up on stage and gave Rock a bitch slap. He also yelled: “ Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth”.

If you want to watch the video yourself, you can check it out here.

The Aftermath

There is no doubt that what happened then and there caught everyone’s attention.

A few hours after the ceremony ended, the host of the ceremony, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tweeted out that they do not condone any form of violence.

There were also other people like Kathy Griffin and Judd Apatow (they are all comedians too) who criticized Smith for his action at the Oscars.

Of course, there are some sympathizers for Will Smith as well.

Actress Sophia Bush said that although violence was not acceptable, the joke went too far as well — it is wrong to make fun of someone battling an autoimmune disease.

My Thoughts

For me, I agree with the sympathizers.

I must remind people that making fun of someone with a disease is extremely cruel, dehumanizing, and unacceptable. We should care for each other more, and not make insensitive jokes like that, especially in front of so many audiences.

Let’s also not forget that this is not the first time Rock had made fun of Pinkett Smith in front of so many people at the ceremony. In 2016, when Rock was the host of that year’s Oscars, he joked about the Smith couple for boycotting the ceremony because of the lack of racial diversity in the nominees. You can check out the video here. Perhaps their relationship deteriorated from then on, who knows?

Regardless, I think Rock should have been more sensitive with his jokes, even though he is a comedian. Of course, Will Smith could have handled this situation better as well. Maybe he could have talked to Rock privately about how he was uncomfortable with him making jokes about his wife?

What do you think? Who do you side with? Let me know in the comments section!

P.S.: If you like what you are reading, or you are interested in writing an article on Medium yourself, consider supporting me and thousands of other writers by signing up for a membership. It only costs $5 per month, and you have the chance to make money with your writing as well. By signing up with this link, you’ll support me directly with a portion of your fee, it won’t cost you more. If you do so, thank you a million times!