WILL Smith is being slammed for not apologizing to Chris Rock in his Oscars acceptance speech minutes after punching him on stage.
The chaos began when the iconic standup comic made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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After the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard, he took the stage with many anticipating he would apologize to Chris.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Will, 53, began his speech.
He later added: “I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees… This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award…”
“… Love will make you do crazy things” Will said as he broke down in tears during his speech.
The star concluded by saying he hopes “the academy invites me back.”
However, the A-lister failed to mention Chris at all, which led many angry fans to react on Twitter and rip Will.
One wrote: “Sorry, Will Smith’s acceptance speech is not an excuse for his actions.”
Another said: “In Will Smith’s speech he says he’s been called to love people. Yes, by teaching them to turn the other cheek…after punching them in the face.”
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More reactions rolled in as one chimed in: “During his extremely long acceptance speech, Will Smith never apologized to Chris Rock for hitting him.”
Another added: “Will Smith getting through his acceptance speech without a Chris Rock mention but vaguely apologizing.”
“Oscar’s director is really struggling to find a cutaway shot of someone applauding or supporting Will Smith in this acceptance speech about him being ‘a protector’ and ‘a river,'” one fan said.
SHOCK FIGHT
While Hollywood’s biggest night was going over smoothly, things came to a shocking halt when Chris arrived on stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary.
The former Saturday Night Live castmate then seemed to go off-script and set his sights on Will’s wife Jada, 50.
“Jada, I love you, G. I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Chris joke.
Demi Moore famously shaved her head for her role in the 1997 movie.
Jada, on the contrary, has been struggling with hair loss for years due to her alopecia diagnosis, and last year decided to shave it all off.
WILL GOES OFF
Will then stormed the stage and hit the presenter in what at first seemed like a stage bit before it all took a turn.
The audio and video feed were then cut for several seconds, presumably as a war of expletives was being hurled back and forth.
However, the Australian broadcast aired the shocking encounter between the two stars.
After the confrontation, a stunned Chris said: “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”
When the video restarted, Will did not look pleased, as he yelled at the comedian: “Leave my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
NO LAUGHING MATTER
A source revealed: “Someone who works for the Oscars told me that Chris Rock was not interrupted by Will Smith at rehearsals yesterday. It was not supposed to happen. It was real.”
During the commercial break, Will reportedly was pulled aside and comforted by Sean Combs and Tyler Perry.
Will seemed to wipe tears from his eyes, as his fellow actors motioned for him to brush it off.
In 2018, Jade opened up about her “issues with hair loss” during an episode of her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk.
She explained: “It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’
“It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking in fear. That’s why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it…”
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