Celebs Respond to Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock

The slap read ‘round the planet. Will Smith shocked the star-studded viewers — and every person seeing at residence — when he took to the phase and smacked Chris Rock throughout the confront following the comic manufactured a “joke” about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair decline at the 2022 Oscars on Sunday, March 27.

“Jada, I enjoy you,” the comic explained from the phase, quipping, “G.I. Jane two, simply cannot hold out to see it,” referring to the actress’ buzzed head, as G.I. Jane star Demi Moore wore a identical design. (Pinkett Smith, fifty, has normally been open up about getting rid of her hair because of to alopecia.)

As the digicam slice to the Smiths, the King Richard star, fifty three — who later on gained the Oscar for very best actor — appeared to smile at Rock’s joke, when Pinkett Smith intensely rolled her eyes. Nevertheless it originally appeared that Smith was Alright with the quip, he rapidly walked onstage and slapped the Longest Lawn actor, fifty seven, throughout the confront. After he returned to his seat, he yelled, “Keep my wife’s title out of your f–king mouth.”

“Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s–t outta me,” Rock explained to the viewers right before returning to handing out the award for very best documentary.

For his portion, the Fresh new Prince of Bel-Air alum later on referenced — and apologized for — the altercation in his speech when accepting his Oscar for King Richard.

“Oh, male. Richard Williams was a intense defender of his family members,” Smith explained, relating his habits to that of Serena and Venus Williams’ father, the position he performed in the movie. “I’m becoming known as on in my existence to enjoy people today and to guard people today and to be a river to my people today. I know to do what we do, you obtained to be ready to get abuse. You obtained to be ready to have people today discuss nuts about you. In this business enterprise you obtained to be ready to have people today disrespecting you. And you obtained to smile, you obtained to fake like which is Alright.”

The seven Lbs actor also apologized to a number of people today for his habits — however not explicitly to Rock.

“I want to apologize to the academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees,” he additional. “Art imitates existence: I glimpse like the nuts father. Just like they explained about Richard Williams. But enjoy will make you do nuts points.”

He later on apologized right to the presenter the pursuing working day in a prolonged assertion. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote by way of Instagram on March 28. “I was out of line and I was erroneous. I am humiliated and my steps were being not indicative of the male I want to be. There is no area for violence in a planet of enjoy and kindness.”

Stars who were being equally in attendance and seeing at residence experienced a large amount to say about the drama — from Rock’s “joke” to Smith’s slap. Scroll beneath to see how stars reacted to the incident: