Here's why Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars stage

The biggest shock at the 2022 Oscars came when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live TV after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. While Will laughed a bit in the beginning, Jada was seen rolling her eyes. Soon after, Will went up to the stage and slapped Chris on the face.

Referring to Pinkett Smith's shortly shaved hair, Rock said: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2." After hearing Rock’s comment, Will Smith went onto the stage, and slapped the presenter. After Will slapped Chris, the entire auditorium went silent for a few seconds.

To the slap Chris Rock told the audience, “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me. It was a G.I. Jane joke. That was the greatest night in the history of television."

Jada has previously opened up about being diagnosed with alopecia, a hair loss condition. She first opened up about it in 2018, and has since spoken up about her challenges of living with the condition on social media. She had said she had decided to cut her hair short after handfuls of it came out in the shower.

Soon after this, Will won his first Oscar. He won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. In his acceptance speech, Will apologised to the Academy and spoke about the importance of family in his life. He said, “I wanna apologize to the Academy… to all my fellow nominees. … Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father! … Love will make you do crazy things.”