The Oscars has seen some wild moments, but nothing close to what went down between actors Will Smith and Chris Rock. What just may be one of the craziest moments in live television history has been the center of attention these past few days, as stars like The Batman's Zoë Kravitz have called out Smith's infamous slap.
For those who still are somehow unaware of what occurred, during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Rock appeared on stage to present the Best Documentary Feature category winner. Before reading off the nominees, Rock, being the iconic comedian that he is, poked fun at several couples in the audience, including Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. When cracking a joke about how he couldn't wait for a sequel to G.I. Jane (in reference to Jada Pinkett-Smith's shaved head), Will Smith stepped on stage and slapped Rock across the face during the telecast.
At first, the obvious reaction to the incident was that it was some type of skit (because no way would someone like Will Smith would just walk up to someone and slap them on what may just be the biggest night of their career). But when Will Smith returned to his seat, he continued yelling at the top of his lungs and explicitly told Rock to keep his wife's name out of his mouth. Now, Kravitz has taken to Instagram to share her thoughts regarding what happened. Kravitz posted a photo of her in her pink dress with the caption reading, "here’s a picture of my dress at the show where we are apparently assaulting people on stage now.” The actress then uploaded another photo of herself in a floor-length white gown at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, reiterating "“and here is a picture of my dress at the party after the award show -where we are apparently screaming profanities and assaulting people on stage now.”
Of course, the slap immediately was trending all over social media and has been the talk for the last few days. Big names like Jim Carrey and Judd Apatow have opened up about the incident, sharing that Will Smith's actions were sickening and could've led to something far worse for Rock. Of course, some have responded to their criticism by pointing out their own questionable past behavior, and Kravitz has been no exception. For instance, Kravitz is now under fire after fans responded to her comment by digging up past suggestive comments she made about Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, when the latter was just 14.
While Will Smith, of course, publicly apologized the next day, and even though it was later revealed that Jada was diagnosed with the hair loss condition Alopecia, it's understandable why stars like Kravitz are frustrated over the incident, especially when Will Smith, according to his social media accounts, has been all about spreading positivity. The Academy has since posted that they do not condone any violence and that they will be exploring any further action and consequences, but judging from the continued cheers from the majority of the crowd when Smith returned to his seat and how security did not intervene, it seems like violence was most certainly condoned. Whatever actions occur in the following days or weeks, the infamous Oscars slap will no doubt live on for quite some time.
Source: Zoë Kravitz/Instagram