Will Smith smacks Chris Rock over Jada Pinkett Smith joke in chaotic Oscars moment: ‘Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth’

The Oscars unravelled into chaos when Will Smith ‘swung a punch’ at Chris Rock in bizarre scenes, after the presenter made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The incident overshadowed a night which saw Coda, Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose make Academy Awards history with incredible wins, while Jane Campion nabbed best director for The Power of the Dog, and Sir Kenneth Branagh won the best original screenplay prize for Belfast.

However, the main talking point from the bash, held at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night, was undoubtedly the moment Will stormed the stage to confront Chris – moments before he won the best actor award.

The comedian was hand to present the trophy for best documentary, which went to Summer of Soul, but things took a turn when he directed a comment to Jada, who was in the crowd beside her husband.

‘Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,’ he said, referring to her buzz cut – the actress has been praised for being so honest and open concerning her alopecia condition.

Will approached the stage and appeared to swing at the comic, before walking back to his seat.

‘Oh wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me,’ a shaken Chris told the crowd.

‘Wow dude. It was a GI Jane joke.’

‘Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth,’ Will furiously yelled from his seat, as the audience fell silent.

‘I’m going to, okay… I’ll keep going? That was, er, the greatest night in the history of television,’ Chris responded.

‘So we are here to give a documentary out, to give an Oscar for best documentary…’

However, fans watching on from home were left baffled by the scenes, flocking to Twitter to ask what just went down.

‘All of us just casually watching the #Oscars when Will Smith decided to slap the s**t out of Chris Rock,’ one commented.

‘I actually did have “Will Smith furiously smacks the s**t out of Chris Rock” on my #Oscars bingo card and am now incredibly rich,’ a viewer joked.

‘Glad to know I’m not the only one confused about what just happened between Chris Rock and Will Smith on the #Oscars,’ a follower replied.

‘What on earth was that Will Smith vs Chris Rock moment?! #Oscars,’ a Twitter user questioned.

‘What the hell just happened between Chris Rock and Will Smith? Will smacked the spit out Chris. Damn, that was personal! #Oscars,’ one said.

As a social media fan added: ‘OMG! Will Smith just got on stage to punch Chris Rock for disrespecting his wife #Oscars.’

The Academy has since tweeted a statement, which read: ‘The Academy does not condone violence of any form.

‘Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.’

The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that a report has not been filed over the incident.

Drama aside, it was a successful night for the Fresh Prince actor, who landed his first Oscar for best actor, thanks to his role in King Richard.

He apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees in an emotional, tear-filled speech, before stating: ‘Love will make you do crazy things’.

‘I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award. It’s about being able to shine a light on all the people…

‘Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams.

‘But love will make you do crazy things.’

Coda took home the coveted best picture award, beating out stiff competition from The Power of the Dog, King Richard, Nightmare Alley, Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza, Drive My Car, Don’t Look Up and West Side Story for the coveted statue.

The Apple TV+ masterpiece, by director Sian Heder, marks the first movie on a streaming service to win the award.

Troy Kotsur, who played Frank Rossi in the powerful film, won the best supporting actor gong earlier in the evening, becoming the first deaf male actor to win the statue.

Ariana DeBose also made history at the Dolby Theatre when she was named the first openly gay woman to win an acting award.

The West Side Story star wowed audiences in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation as Anita, and picked up the best supporting actress award.

As well as becoming the first openly gay woman to win in an acting category, she also won for the same role as Rita Moreno did 50 years ago.

It was a night of firsts for Hollywood royalty Jessica Chastain, who accepted her debut best actress Oscar for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye.

‘Right now we are coming out of some difficult times that have been filled with trauma and isolation,’ she said in a heartfelt speech. ‘So many people out there feel hopelessness and they feel alone and suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States.

‘It has touched many families, it has touched mine, and especially members of the LGBTQ+ community who oftentimes feel out of place with their peers.

‘We are faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us. There is violence and hate crimes being perpetrated on innocent civilians all over the world.

‘For any of you out there who do feel hopeless or alone I want you to know you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.’

Stars on the night took the opportunity to pay tribute to Ukraine, amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

There was a poignant moment of silence during the Oscars ceremony, as ceremony bosses acknowledged the conflict and asked viewers to support ‘in any way you are able’.

‘We’d like to have a moment of silence to show our support for the people of Ukraine currently facing invasion, conflict and prejudice within their own borders,’ the messages read as the audience fell silent.

‘While film is an important avenue for us to express our humanity in times of conflict, the reality is millions of families in Ukraine need food, medical care, clean water and emergency services.

‘Resources are scarce, and we, collectively as a global community, can do more.

‘We ask you to support Ukraine in any way you are able #standwithukraine.’

Jason Momoa and Benedict Cumberbatch were among the celebrities offering their solidarity subtly on the red carpet, sporting blue and yellow pins and ribbons on their outfits.

Rachel Zegler made the most of her appearance at the bash after she was previously snubbed on the guest list. 

The West Side Story actress revealed she had been left off the invite list for the film ceremony, held at the Dolby Theatre in LA, this week – after which the Academy did a swift U-turn, asking her to hand out an award.

Appearing on stage beside Jacob Elordi to present the award for achievement in visual effects, she made light of her rollercoaster week.

‘Growing up in Australia I had never thought that I would stand on the stage,’ Euphoria actor Jacob said.

Without missing a beat, Rachel replied: ‘And I never thought that I would be here six days ago. We did it.

‘Dreams really can come true – pretty fast, too.’

Mics dropping all over the place.

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