TWO ACTORS and comedians, Will Smith and Chris Rock have each established legacies for themselves as powerful men in the entertainment industry.
On Sunday, March 27, 2022, both entertainers were involved in a physical altercation at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.
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Will Smith and Chris Rock beef explained
Chris and Jada
Although not confirmed by either party, rumors of an alleged affair between Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith have circulated since the two worked on the Madagascar animated films together.
At the time Chris was married to Malaak Compton, with whom his divorce was finalized in August of 2016.
Following their split, Chris admitted to infidelity in their relationship.
“When guys cheat, it’s like we want something new,” Chris said during his 2018 Netflix special, Tamborine.
“Some of these lessons you’ve just got to learn. Like, I brought this sh*t on myself.”
He continued: “Nobody told me to go ho up.”
The first Madagascar film was released in 2005, with the third in the series hitting screens in 2012.
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The 2016 Oscars
Will Smith and Chris Rock first worked together in the 1990s on an episode of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
The two seemingly maintained a friendly relationship throughout the years, as Chris stated in 2009 he would not make “Will Smith jokes.”
“(Obama’s) just one of those guys, you know, like Will Smith,” he said at the time, per CNN.
“There’s no Will Smith jokes. There’s no Brad Pitt jokes,” he added.
In 2016, Chris hosted the Oscars ceremony.
Jada Pinkett Smith announced prior to the event that she would not be attending due to a lack of diversity.
During his monologue, Chris took to the stage and joked: “Jada said she’s not coming, protest.”
He continued: “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”
Chris went on to bring Will into things, adding: “It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated.
“It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20million for ‘Wild Wild West,’ OK?”
Jada’s Response
“It comes with the territory,” Jada Pinkett Smith said at the time, per People.
“We got to keep it moving, there’s a lot of stuff we got to handle, a lot of stuff in our world right now. We got to keep it moving.”
The 2022 Oscars
When Chris Rock took the stage at the 2022 Oscars, he made another Jada Pinkett Smith-related joke.
“Jada, I love you, GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” he said, referencing the actress’s shaved head.
Following his comment, the camera panned to Jada, who did not look pleased.
Will Smith stood up from his seat and walked onto the stage, slapping Chris across the face.
The audio and video feed in the United States was cut for several seconds during the incident.
After the confrontation, Chris said to the crowd: “Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me.”
In return, Will shouted from his seat: “Leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
Jada revealed in 2018 she suffers from alopecia, a disease resulting in rapid hair loss.
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Will’s Apology
Following the ceremony, Chris Rock refused to press charges against Will Smith.
A statement from the Los Angeles police department said: “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program.
“The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report.”
It continued: “If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Moments after the slap took place, Will was awarded the title of Best Actor for his role in King Richard.
During his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees as he said: “love will make you do crazy things.”
The following day, Will took to his Instagram to issue a formal apology.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he began.
“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.”
He continued: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.
“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.
“There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Will added: “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
“I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family.”
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