Oscars 2022: Will Smith 'Slaps' Chris Rock On Stage After Joke About Wife Jada Pinkett Smith

The Oscars took an uncomfortable turn when Will Smith criticised and appeared to 'slap' Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance.

Watch the shocking moment below:

Rock, who is known for his edgy humour, took shots at audience members in attendance at the 94th Academy Awards.

However, things took a turn when he made joke about the King Richard star's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head, after suggesting she looked like 'G.I. Jane', the titular character from the 1997 film in which actress Demi Moore also has a shaved head.

Pinkett Smith opened up about experiencing alopecia, an autoimmune disorder which causes hair loss, in December.

"Y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. Look at that," she said in an Instagram video.

At the ceremony, after Smith took to his seat again, he told Rock: "Keep my wife's name out of your f*cking mouth".

"Wow, dude. It was a G.I. Jane joke," replied Rock.

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Smith repeated: "Keep my wife's name out of your f*cking mouth".

Rock, who was clearly in shock, said: "I am going to." before adding "that was uh... the greatest night in the history of television."

Academy award winner Lupita Nyong'o, who was sitting close to the Smiths, looked on in shock.

This is not the first time Pinkett Smith has been the subject of jokes at an awards ceremony. Earlier this month at the BAFTAs, host Rebel Wilson made viewers rather uncomfortable when she poked fun at Will and Jada's marriage after Will won Best Film Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in King Richard.

Will and Jada were absent from the event - attending the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on the same night.

After landing the award for Best Actor at the BAFTAs, Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson raised eyebrows when she joked: "I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife's boyfriends."

You can read more about it here.

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Will Smith, Oscars

Gregory Robinson

Gregory is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the 90s and prefers tea over coffee. Get in touch [email protected]

@GregoryJourno