"Get my wife's name out of your f****** mouth" screamed Will Smith to Chris Rock in one of the most awkward moments in Oscars history. Video / TVNZ
In unbelievable scenes, actor Will Smith stormed the Oscars stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock across the face after the comedian mocked his wife's hair.
After Rock quipped that he "couldn't wait" to see the sequel of G.I Jane, appearing to mock Pinkett Smith's shaved head, the camera panned to the Red Table Talk host rolling her eyes and glancing sideways at Smith.
Suddenly, Smith jumped to his feet, marched up to Rock and slapped him, before returning to his seat and yelling, "KEEP MY WIFE'S NAME OUT YOUR F***ING MOUTH" repeatedly as the crowd sat stunned and Rock was left speechless.
Eventually, Rock uttered that the altercation was "the craziest thing" to ever happen on TV.
Afterwards, Smith's publicist was seen whispering into his ear, as fellow actors Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington comforted him, rightfully expecting an enormous reaction to the moment.
— Clayton Davis - Standing with 🇺🇦 (@ByClaytonDavis) March 28, 2022
Following the moment in which Will Smith seemingly slapped Chris Rock at the #Oscars, Smith is comforted by Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington. He appears to wipe away tears before rejoining his wife pic.twitter.com/TyXPQe1WGY
Later, while accepting his first ever Oscar for best actor in King Richard, in which he played the father of Venus and Serena Williams, he apologised to the Academy with tears streaming down his face.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family," he began his speech.
"Art imitates life... I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams," he later joked, adding that "love makes you do crazy things."
Smith accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role. Photo / AP
He concluded: "I hope the Academy invites me back," to laughs from the crowd.
Pinkett Smith shaved her head last year after struggling from worsening hair loss.
The talk show host has been open about her battle over the past three years, eventually opting to shave all her hair off with the help of her daughter, Willow, in July 2021.
In a 40-second video posted to Instagram in December, Pinkett Smith told fans, "Now at this point, I can only laugh… y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia.
"Just all of a sudden, one day…" she added, pointing to a hairless line on her scalp.
Jada Pinkett Smith, left, and Will Smith appear in the audience at the Oscars. Photo / AP
Jada and Will's musician daughter Willow proudly shared her mum's new look on Instagram last July. Photo / via Instagram
"So, it just showed up like that. Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I'd just share it so y'all not asking any questions," Pinkett Smith explained.
Willow — who also now rocks a shaved head — was the first to show off her mother's bald head, sharing a selfie with her mum last year.
Jada reposted the snap with the caption: "Willow made me do it because it was time to let go BUT … my 50's are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed."
Since 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith has been vocal about her experience with alopecia.
Speaking on her show the Red Table Talk, the mum-of-two said: "I've been getting a lot of questions about why I was wearing this turban. Well, I've been having issues with hair loss."
Three years later, she's completely shaved off her hair.
Smith, left, and Pinkett Smith arrive at the Oscars. Photo / AP
Alopecia causes drastic hair loss. It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging.
It's not the first time Smith has hit back over a joke at his family's expense at an awards ceremony.
Earlier this month, the actor responded to Rebel Wilson's controversial joke at the Baftas.
The Aussie actress, 42, who hosted the awards ceremony, said in response to Will scooping the Leading Actor prize for his role in King William: "I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife's boyfriends."
Will, 53, who snubbed the Baftas in favour of the Critics' Choice Awards in LA, said in response: "There's never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything, ever."
