The slap heard around the world.
If you didn't tune into the 2022 Oscars, you might have missed the slap that stole the
show.
We are talking, of course, about Will Smith rushing the stage, slapping Chris Rock in
the face, and then screaming at him repeatedly to, quote, "Keep my wife's name out of your
f***ing mouth!"
after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's haircut.
Fans and celebrities were divided on Smith's impulsive decision to attack Rock.
Judd Apatow, for one, called it dangerous and suggested that Smith could have killed
the comedian in a since-deleted tweet.
Others, like Nicki Minaj, were firmly on Smith's side.
For Smith, though, the situation was anything but funny.
Per his tearful apology later in the evening when he won best actor, he just saw red when
Rock made a joke at his wife's expense.
So, why was Smith so angry?
He may already have been at a breaking point thanks to a series of jokes other people have
made about his rocky marriage over the years.
You might remember that the major drama surrounding Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith was their
reportedly open marriage.
Back in 2020, Will joined his wife on her talk show "Red Table Talk" and discussed their
marriage and the fact that she had a, quote, "entanglement" with rapper August Alsina.
"So, relationship."
"Yes!
It was a relationship, absolutely.
I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken."
Jada and Will were reportedly "taking space" at the time, but their separation didn't stop
Alsina from releasing a song wryly titled "Entanglements" about the affair.
Space or not, it didn't stop the scrutiny and jokes that have followed the couple since.
The stress of bearing all those jokes might have added up, and when Chris Rock took a
jab at his wife, Will snapped.
A source told the New York Post,
"They have felt more exposed these past few years and it's taken its toll."
More importantly, though, Will reportedly couldn't handle a joke like that coming from
Rock, with whom Will has had tension for years.
At the 2016 Oscars, Rock made jokes about Jada protesting the show despite not being
nominated for anything.
Another source told the New York Post,
"This was personal.
If someone else would've said it, it probably wouldn't have mattered as much, but this was
totally personal stemming from 2016 — and maybe before that."
We also know that some questionable past Will interviews have come to light in the wake
of the slap seen around the world.
One of the most telling past appearances to rear its ugly head came in the form of Will,
Jada, and their son, Jaden Smith, appearing on the Spanish TV show "El Hormiguero" back
in 2010.
In the clip, Will, seemingly jokingly, warned the host to be careful about what he said
to his wife while listening intently as the two spoke.
"Pablo, also careful with the words for my wife, okay?"
Will Smith has previously opened up about his relationship with Jada Pinkett Smith and
how they worked hard on their communication skills because he did not want their relationship
to be like his parents'.
He explained on "Red Table Talk" in October 2018,
"I grew up in a household where I watched my father punch my mother in the face.
I will not create a house, a space, an interaction with a person where there's profanity and
violence.
It was 20 years before we used profanity in any conversation that we've had."
Will has apologized in the wake of the incident.
As well as addressing the slap in his acceptance speech during the ceremony, he then took to
Instagram to apologize again, this time explicitly addressing Rock.
He wrote,
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.
My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition
was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will decide on what, if any, disciplinary
action is taken against Will on April 18.
In a statement obtained by People, it was noted that there's the potential for the actor
to be expelled over the incident.
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