Just as we thought this year's Oscars will be just another snoozefest, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock's face became the highlight of the event. Before the winners of different categories were announced, Chris Rock, who hosts the 94th Academy Awards tells a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved hair, which obviously wasn't funny for Will Smith.
Chris Rock made a joke about Jada's shaved hair, referencing it to 1997's G.I Jane, Rock says "Jada, can't wait for G.I. Jane 2." While Jada's husband who's nominated for the Best Actor category appears to be laughing at Rock's joke, a few seconds later, the actor furiously stormed on stage slapping Chris Rock's face.
After returning to his seat, Will Smith yelled "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth." Though the stars who are present in the prestigious event thought that this is just a skit for the two, finally got an idea that Will Smith is indeed furious about Rock's joke about his wife.
Now, what is it about 1997's G.I Jane that really offended both Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband, Will Smith?
Well, if it wasn't obvious enough, Chris Rock made fun of Jada's shaved hair, which wasn't the actress' choice at all. Last year, Jada announced that she has been struggling with alopecia through her Instagram post.
“Now at this point, I can only laugh… y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day… it just showed up like that,” Pinkett Smith wrote in the post's caption. “Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions… Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!”
On the other hand, G.I Jane is a 1997 film directed by Ridley Scott featuring Demi Moore as its lead. The film follows Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil (Moore) chosen to be part of the US Navy and was criticized for being a female. In the film, the actress made an empowering decision to shave her head, to prove that she belongs to the US Navy.
Will Smith, who won Best Actor for his latest film King Richard, tearfully apologizes to the Academy and fellow nominees saying that he hopes they still welcome him back despite what happened. However, Will Smith didn't mention being sorry for Chris Rock at all.
Now, the LAPD shares statement to Variety, saying that Chris Rock didn't press any charges for the slapping event. “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program, The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
The Academy also issued a statement regarding the slapping incident, stating that it does not condone any violence of any form.
Chris Rock hasn't released any statement yet about the incident with Will Smith.
Also Read: Suicide Squad Star Will Smith Addresses Shocking Oscar Altercation with Chris Rock
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