12 March 2023 , 22:32
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Will Smith caused an eruption worldwide when he got out of his seat at the Oscars ceremony and walked on stage to slap Chris Rock across the face after he made about joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
While presenting for the best documentary feature category at the 94th Academy Awards in March last year, the comedian decided to throw a jibe about Jada's shaved head, referencing Demi Moore's infamous role in 1997 hit movie G.I. Jane that saw her shave off her hair.
He said: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2," prompting a visibly upset Jada, who has alopecia, to roll her eyes at the misplaced 'joke'.
Will – who was less than impressed with the quip – then walked up to the stage and slapped the presenter, before returning to his seat.
Will Smith at the 2022 Academy AwardsChris was left stunned by the moment, as was the audience, as the comedian said: "Wow, wow," in between awkward laughter. He then said: "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me."
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The audience laughed and cheered before Will was heard shouting: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth".
"Wow dude," Chris Rock responded as the audience was stunned into silence. "It was a G.I Jane joke," he added before Will repeated: "Keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth."
"I'm going to," Chris replied before being visibly stunned by the strong reaction from Will. Chris then said: "That was the greatest night in the history of television," before changing the subject.
Later on in the evening, Will went on to win his first Oscar for his performance in King Richard and apologised on stage for his previous actions.
Will infamously slapped Chris on stage (AFP via Getty Images)While on stage accepting his award, he said: "I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees."
The star was tearful as he made his speech for what was his first-ever Oscars win, but didn't apologise to the comedian at the time.
He continued: "This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine a light on all of the people.
"Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things."
After paying a beautiful tribute to his mother and other members of his family he added: "Thank you for this honour, thank you for this moment... I hope the Academy invites me back."
Will mentioned the moment in his acceptance speech (AFP via Getty Images)
Will is banned from the Oscars for 10 years (Getty Images)Jada previously explained that she shaves her head due to her alopecia, which is a condition that causes hair loss.
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She had taken to Instagram last year to show off her buzzcut and opened up about her struggles with the autoimmune disorder.
Following the event Will was later banned from the Oscars for 10 years and was handed a disciplinary decision from The Academy.
Speaking in a statement given to PA after the news was made public, Will said: "I accept and respect the Academy’s decision"
Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement: "The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards."
Months after the incident, which was one of the most talked about moments of the year, Will issued an apology in the form of a YouTube video, where he finally said sorry to the comedian.
Will, 53, began the video with a message on screen which read: "It's been a minute... Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work...
"You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer."
Will Smith gave an emotional apology to Chris Rock over Oscar's slap in tell-all videoHe then sat down and opened up about his controversial actions and explained why he didn't say sorry to Chris, 57, during his acceptance speech immediately after the event
As he repeated a question asking why he didn't apologise to Chris at the prestigious awards ceremony, Will said: "I was fogged out by that point.
"It's all fuzzy. I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out."
Addressing the comedian directly, Will looked at the camera and said: "So I will say to you, Chris; I apologise to you, my behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Smith also apologised to Rock’s mother and father and explained he "wasn't thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment".
Chris stayed largely silent on the ordeal, but poked fun at the slap in his recent Netflix stand up show.
eminding his audience of some home truths for the Pinkett-Smiths, Rock insisted the King Richard actor's anger on Oscar night had nothing to do with anything he ever did - as he urged the star to look closer to home as his audience roared with laughter.
Chris discussed the slap in his Netflix special (AP)Referencing Jada's dalliance with son Jaden's rapper friend August Alsina, Rock teased: "Everybody knows I had nothing to do with that s**t."
He went on: "For people that don’t know — everybody knows! — his wife was f**king her son’s friend, OK?
Now, I normally would not talk about this s**t, but for some reason these [people] put that s**t on the internet! I had no idea why two talented people would do something that f**king low-down!”
"We all been cheated on. Everybody in here has been cheated on.
"None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television.
"She hurt him way more than he hurt me. Everybody in the world called him a bitch. I tried to call him to give him my condolences, he didn’t pick up for me.
"Everybody called him a bitch, and who did he hit? Me. That’s what happened."