Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident
Live-television incident in 2022 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face during Rock's presentation for Best Documentary Feature. The slap was in response to a joke Rock made about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Smith returned to his seat and shouted profanity at Rock, who briefly responded before completing his presentation without further interruption.
Date | March 27, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-27) |
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Venue | Dolby Theatre |
Location | Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
Also known as | "The Slap Heard Around the World" "Slapgate" "The Oscars Slap" "The Slap" "The Slappening" "The Pursuit of Slappyness" |
Type | Assault by facial slapping |
Motive | Anger over a joke directed at Smith's wife, comparing her to Demi Moore's character in G.I. Jane |
Target | Chris Rock |
Perpetrator | Will Smith |
Outcome | Smith resigns and is given a 10-year ban from all Academy events |
Non-fatal injuries | None |
Arrests | None |
Charges | None |
Later that evening, Smith won Best Actor and apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and other nominees, but not to Rock, in his acceptance speech. The next day, he issued an apology to Rock and the AMPAS through social media. Smith resigned his Academy membership on April 1, facing a potential suspension or expulsion, and was banned from attending AMPAS events for 10 years.
Live television broadcasts in the United States mostly muted the incident due to federal censorship laws. However, uncensored international footage went viral on social media; an excerpt from the Australian broadcast became one of the most-viewed online videos in the first 24 hours. The incident received worldwide attention and largely overshadowed the rest of the ceremony.