This comes after the King Richard star stormed onto the stage, before slapping Chris Rock who joked about his wife's baldness, saying that he was looking forward to seeing Jada Pinkett-Smith in the next GI. Jane film. Pinkett-Smith has been very open about her alopecia in the past.
"Jada, I love you, G. I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it", Chris Rock had said while on stage. He was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary.
After Smith hit him, Rock said, "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me". Will Smith could then be heard shouting, "Leave my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth".
"Someone who works for the Oscars told me that Chris Rock was not interrupted by Will Smith at rehearsals yesterday. It was not supposed to happen. It was real", a source later revealed.
Will Smith later landed the Oscar for his role in the King Richard biopic about Richard Williams, the father of famous tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams.
However, Will used his acceptance speech to explain his actions earlier that evening, instead of apologising to Chris Rock.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family", the Fresh Prince of Bel Air star said. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees... This is a beautiful moment, and I'm not crying for winning an award...".
As he broke down in tears, Smith added, "… Love will make you do crazy things". He finished by adding that he hoped that the "the academy invites me back".
Will Smith's decision not to mention Chris Rock's name in the speech did not go down well with fans online, who felt that he owed the actor and comedian an apology.
"Will Smith getting through his acceptance speech without a Chris Rock mention but vaguely apologizing", one wrote.
Another added, "Oscar’s director is really struggling to find a cutaway shot of someone applauding or supporting Will Smith in this acceptance speech about him being 'a protector' and 'a river,'".
Another fan wrote, "Sorry, Will Smith’s acceptance speech is not an excuse for his actions".
The LAPD have confirmed that Chris Rock will not bring any criminal charges against Will Smith following this altercation.
