Will Smith's assault on comedian Chris Rock over a light joke at his wife's expense became Oscars 2022's biggest highlight. He has successfully become the most interesting person last Sunday evening with the internet booming out in solidarity on Rock's side.

The attack that was so sudden and coming from such a usually good-standing guy Will Smith is quite shocking to the whole world. The netizens spread memes, make opinions, and is deciding on which side should they support.

The joke

The joke earning Rock a slap was concerning Smith's wife Jada. He said how he will wait for her appearance in G.I. Jane's sequel. The joke is aimed at Jada's shaved head just like the main character in G.I. Jane's first movie played by Demi Moore.

The camera was then directed towards the Smith couple where Will laughed at his joke but Jada was not impressed. She rolled her eyes and looked annoyed over Rock's joke.

Not long after, Rock continued hosting before being interrupted by Will. He stomped onto the stage and slap him hard and quick on his left cheek.

The Dolby theatre laughs at first thinking the whole ruse was a setup. But it went completely quiet after "keep my wife’s name out your f**** mouth," Will shouted when he returned to his seat, defending his wife after he struck Rock's face. The theatre went even quieter when he yelled a second time.

Smith's outrage was known later due to Jada’s alopecia causing her to lose hair. Rock decided not to file a police report on Smith’s action.

The reactions
The rection after the event was wildly divided, especially among celebrities. Many shares their opinion on Twitter weighing whether the punch-like slap justified the joke. 

#ProtectBlackWomen trended on Twitter supporting Will’s action on protecting his wife. Also on Will’s side are Nicki Minaj, Daniel Kaluuya, Nicole Kidman, and Keith Urban.

Some sympathized on Rock’s side including Mark Hamil saying “Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault... not so much.”

The double apologies
Smith's first apology happened 15 minutes after he smacked Rock when he received an award for his leading performance on King Richard. The movie portrays a moving story of how Richard Williams molded and trained their daughters, Serena and Venus, to become U.S. best tennis players. 

Smith used the movie to justify his action saying how he has to protect his family just like Richard. Although he spiced it up with a little apology towards the academy and not directly at Rock.

The second apology happened a day later on his Instagram account where he uploaded a post with a muted comment section. This time he addressed the apology directly, stating Rock’s name and even tagging him.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)