In an astonishing moment during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday, “King Richard” star Will Smith had a harsh moment with Chris Rock where he hit the stand up comedian as he made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith, while receiving the beat actor Oscar in “King Richard,” later apologized to the entire film academy and his fellow nominees as tears streamed down his face. But he did not address Chris Rock and attempted to justify what he did.
He said,” Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will drive you insane,” Smith stated as he was honoured for his role as Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.
The audience at the Dolby Theatre was astonished by Smith’s confrontation with Rock.
Rock stated he was looking forward to seeing Pinkett Smith in “G.I. Jane 2” as he presented the Oscar for best documentary feature.
Pinkett Smith reported in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with alopecia, a hair loss disorder. Demi Moore appears in Ridley Scott’s action picture “G.I. Jane” (1997) as a woman who enters the Navy and shaves her head during her service.
Smith then marched to the Dolby Theatre’s stage and sang Rock. On the US broadcast, the voice went out, but Smith looked to be saying, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f——-g lips!”
Smith attempted to relate the event to Richard Williams’ fierce spirit in his victory speech.
In his address, Smith fought back tears as he remarked, “Richard Williams was a staunch protector of his family.”
In “King Richard,” he stated he got the chance to “defend” his co-stars.
“In my life, I’m being called on to love people, to defend people, and to be a river for my people,” he added, tears running down his cheeks.
According to him, performers in the entertainment industry are compelled to “accept abuse” because “people speak wild about you.”
Smith stated, “I want to be a channel for love.”
The astonishing incident sparked a social media frenzy in which the event was meticulously examined. Following the occurrence, many people commented on how strange it was that the show’s producers continued to air the show.
Journalists in the room for the ceremony’s coverage tweeted that Smith’s publicist, as well as fellow performers Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, contacted him after the event.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that they were aware of the event after the concert, but Rock declined to file a police report.
“If the implicated person requests a police report at a later time, LAPD will complete an investigative report,” the agency stated in a statement.
The film academy declared in a tweet issued at 1:10 a.m. ET that it “does not condone violence in any form.”
Smith competed against Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”), Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick… Boom!”) and Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”) for best actor this year.
Smith’s portrayal of Richard Williams, a coach and one-man public relations machine who drove his bright daughters to athletic excellence, received mostly excellent reviews.
The actor’s win on Sunday night marks a watershed moment in his career as one of Hollywood’s most defining and highest-grossing actors in the previous 30 years.
Smith rose to cinematic prominence in the 1990s with movies like “Bad Boys,” “Independence Day,” and “Men in Black,” after beginning his career as a hip-hop MC and star of the NBC comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Smith has juggled blockbusters with appearances in Oscar-baiting dramas in the years afterwards.
He was nominated for “Ali” in 2002, the same year he won best actor for “Training Day,” becoming him only the second Black male to do it. He was nominated for “The Pursuit of Happiness” five years later, but lost out to Forest Whitaker for “The Last King of Scotland.”
