The Oscars came to a brief but shocking halt on Sunday, after Will Smith jumped on stage to slap Chris Rock for a comment made toward Jada Pinkett-Smith. The moment had most viewers wondering one thing: Was that scripted?
The answer appears to be no. Reports from inside the Dolby Theater indicate that Will Smith really did slap Chris Rock after the presenter joked that he looked forward to Smith’s wife being in a sequel to Demi Moore’s “G.I. Jane” because of her bald head.
“Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth,” Smith bellowed twice, after returning to his seat.
Rock himself seemed stunned, but joked that it made for great television, and kept the show moving along. For those at home, the confusion was intense. “WHAT JUST HAPPENED” immediately started trending after the altercation.
“I really don’t think that was scripted Or Will and Chris are the true #Oscar winners tonight,” one person tweeted.
Jada Pinkett-Smith herself was clearly displeased with Rock’s joke, prior to Will Smith taking the stage. The actress has alopecia, a hair loss condition, and was diagnosed back in 2018.
Many compared the moment to a recent episode of “Euphoria,” in which the characters Maddy and Cassie have it out.
Others made sure to get screenshots of Lupita Nyong’o’s reaction, as she was sitting near the couple when the exchange went down.
You can check out more reactions to the moment below.