The world reacts to that Will Smith and Chris Rock slap at the Oscars

“And The Academy Award For Best Picture Goes To La La Land”, Adele Dazeem, the standing ovation for Roman Polanski and Sally Field’s “you really like me!” speech have all lost the award for wildest moment at the Oscars, replaced by 2022’s unprecedented Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock.

This morning, Ireland woke to the world asking, “Was that real?” after Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, in news that overtook everything else, including the winners – Belfast won Best Original Screenplay, if you were wondering about how the Irish fared.

“Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” said Chris Rock as he was presenting Best Documentary, a joke that’s been deemed a crack at Jada’s shaved head. It’s worth noting that Jada has also been open about her struggle with alopecia and that Chris Rock previously mocked her during the Oscars in 2016 when she was boycotting due to a lack of diversity. “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties,” Chris Rock said at the time. “I wasn’t invited.”

Anyway, back to the slap. After the mention of G.I. Jane 2, Will Smith, who seemed to have been laughing just beforehand while Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes, walked on stage, slapped Chris Rock in the face and sat back down. In the US, what happened next was muted, but videos of the Japanese and Australian streams of the Oscars have gone viral on Twitter, showing that after Will Smith sat down, Chris Rock said, “Wow – Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me” and Smith shouted “keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth.” Chris Rock said back to him, “Wow dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke!” Smith shouted “keep my wife’s name out of your f*cking mouth,” again. “I’m going to, okay?” said Rock, followed by, “that was the greatest night in the history of television,” and then just… carried on presenting the Oscars.

VIA JAPANESE TELEVISION: The uncensored exchange between Will Smith and Chris Rock pic.twitter.com/j0Z184ZyXa

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 28, 2022

From videos on social media, in the commercial break that followed, Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry approached Will Smith as he wiped his eyes. About an hour later, Will Smith won the award for Best Actor and addressed the slap in his speech, saying “Denzel said to me, ‘At your highest moment, be careful — that’s when the devil comes for you.’”

During the commercial break, Will Smith is pulled aside and comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who motion for him to brush it off. Will appears to wipe tears from his eyes as he sits back down with Jada, with Denzel comforting Jada and Will’s rep by his side. pic.twitter.com/uDGVnWrSS2

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— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) March 28, 2022

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family, in this time of my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people. I know to do what we do, you’ve got be able to take abuse, to have people talk crazy about you, you have to be able to have people disrespecting you, and you have to smile and pretend like that’s okay … I want to be a vessel for love.” Will Smith apologised to his nominees and the Academy, saying that “love will make you do crazy things.”

Will Smith got a standing ovation for his speech, Chris Rock is reportedly not filing a police report with the LAPD, and videos on social media later that night show Will Smith dancing in a circle of cameras to Gettin Jiggy With It with his Oscar so everyone is doing fine post-smack, as days worth of discourse begins. But in the meantime, the Internet exploded. Here’s how the world reacted to the slap.

I will pay up to $1 million in Kohl’s Cash for a leaked recording of the audio from the stage management team’s walkie-talkies

— Nick Morrow (@NRMorrow) March 28, 2022

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Will Smith is a Libra

— Astro Poets (@poetastrologers) March 28, 2022

And That’s How We Do It

— Jaden (@jaden) March 28, 2022

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WENT OUT OF RM
& MISSED REASON FOR
WILL’S PUNCH..JUST SAW IT, BUT STILL NOT SURE
WHY.

— Cher (@cher) March 28, 2022

That’s why he got sent to Bel-Air in the first place. Shit like that.

— Zito (@_Zeets) March 28, 2022

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This why Kanye wasn’t invited to the Oscar’s ?

— Hoodville (@Hoodville_) March 28, 2022

Have Chris Rock give out another award with a huge neck brace on

— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) March 28, 2022

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I hope everyone has enjoyed the last Oscars ever

— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) March 28, 2022

Just saw the Will Smith slap. Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?

— Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien) March 28, 2022

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you’re telling me he got in one little fight and everyone got scared????

— Alanah Pearce (@Charalanahzard) March 28, 2022

Dying at this photo from the Vanity Fair #Oscars viewing party…. pic.twitter.com/YAvcr2KN6O

— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) March 28, 2022

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The Oscars wouldn’t fabricate a fake assault because they could never do anything even remotely that interesting on purpose

— chris person (@Papapishu) March 28, 2022

I know Beyoncé sitting there like “see this why I don’t go nowhere” ?

— Michael ? (@mce1201) March 28, 2022

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all in all, I think so far I’ve done a very smooth job in my job as producer of the academy awards

— David Sims (@davidlsims) March 28, 2022

I’m tripping that you can assault someone on live television on stage at the Oscars and just take your seat and watch the rest of the show.

— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) March 28, 2022

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As a minor celebrity i feel like i have 27-30 hours to do anything i want and no one will notice

— Diedrich Bader (@bader_diedrich) March 28, 2022

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock is straight people’s Adele Dazeem.

— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) March 28, 2022

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I need every camera angle on EVERYONE pic.twitter.com/S1rVyut6R9

— Marc (@MarcSnetiker) March 28, 2022

fair is fair: let the williams sisters slap jane campion

— Kevin T. Porter (@KevinTPorter) March 28, 2022

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will smith is maddy, chris rock is cassie, the oscars is lexie’s play, zendaya is literally watching in the audience

— it’s me sally darr (@sallydarr) March 28, 2022

Give Lupita best supporting actress for her work tonight.

— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) March 28, 2022

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Congrats to Coda, huge night for letting your hands do the talking

— Vince Mancini (@VinceMancini) March 28, 2022

Congratulations to “via Japanese television” and “via Australian television” for jointly winning this year’s Best Picture Oscar

— Michael Roston (@michaelroston) March 28, 2022

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Stop the damn #Oscars broadcast and drag a red table onto the stage because we need to TALK.

— Saeed Jones (@theferocity) March 28, 2022

they should cancel the rest of the show and just have everyone describe what happened big little lies style

— Anna Swartz (@Anna_Snackz) March 28, 2022

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BREAKING: Will Smith Being Sent to Live with Aunt and Uncle in Bel-Air

— Zack Bornstein (@ZackBornstein) March 28, 2022

One of life’s weirdest moods is “how do I go to bed after this internet thing”

— Nora Princiotti (@NoraPrinciotti) March 28, 2022

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yo imagine if somebody smacked the shit out of you on live TV then won an oscar oh my god

— ye (@yedoye_) March 28, 2022

Andrew Garfield texting the other Peter Parkers to see if Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in their universes too pic.twitter.com/HWaUWGMp28

— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) March 28, 2022

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Photography via Twitter.