Millions of people tuned in on March 27th to watch the 2022 Oscars, but this year the show took a slight turn; a very unexpected altercation took place on the stage between Will Smith and Chris Rock. Chris Rock was on stage presenting an award when he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith (Will’s wife) being in “G.I Jane 2” because her head is shaved. Many people do not know that her head is shaved because she struggles with alopecia which is a disease that can result in loss of hair.

After the joke was made, Will Smith walked up stage to Chris and slapped him in the face. After going back to his seat he screamed “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.” At first, fans at home thought it might have been a stunt, but after seeing Chris’s flustered reaction, as well as the audience’s shocked expressions, everyone realized the situation was very real. 

Soon after, Diddy came on stage to present an award and addressed the situation by saying “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve this like family. Right now we’re moving on with love. Everybody make some noise.” Smith’s publicist Meredith O. Sullivan came by him at the commercial break to have a discussion. Also during the break, Denzel Washington got up to speak to Smith privately. 

Will Smith won the Best Actor Oscar later in the night for his performance in “King Richard.” In his speech, he addressed the situation by apologizing. “I want to apologize to the academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.” He added, “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things.” He then concluded his speech by joking that he hopes the Academy invites him back. 

Will Smith also released a statement apologizing to Chris publicly saying his behavior was “unacceptable” and “destructive.” He went on to say he reacted emotionally to a joke about his wife’s medical condition and that he was out of line. On Wednesday evening the Academy’s Board of Directors is set to meet and discuss the situation.