The moment will surely be dissected for years on end, both in the context of Oscars history and Smith’s career, coming as it did on a night that was supposed to be the pinnacle of his career, a true Hollywood coronation. I look like the crazy father, just like Richard Williams. That’s when the devil comes for you.” Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees (not, seemingly, to Rock, who has made fun of Pinkett Smith on the Oscars stage before), but there was defensiveness to his words, too. “In this time in my life, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.” He noted that his fellow nominee Denzel Washington had come over to counsel him after the incident, saying, “In your highest moment, be careful. “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith said, referring to his character. And indeed he did, standing on stage in tears and delivering a speech that was emotional, uncomfortable, and undeniably riveting. But even stranger was that he was widely expected to take the spotlight again in about 15 minutes to receive a Best Actor trophy for his performance in King Richard, as the father of Serena and Venus Williams. It was unsettling enough that Smith, one of the most famous actors alive, had done such a thing, even if you’re armed with the context that Jada Pinkett Smith has alopecia. Read: The shadow that’s haunting Will Smith Questlove emotionally accepted an award for his documentary, Summer of Soul, immediately afterward, and other categories soon followed, but the mood in the Dolby Theatre was reportedly quite tense. Maybe even more surreal was the effort to then get the show back on track. broadcast feed, though the camera did cut to Smith verbally rebuking him. Rock stayed calm but appeared stunned, stating, “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me,” and standing motionless for what felt like hours. It made the pronouncement of the wrong Best Picture winner in 2017, or David Niven’s pinpoint mockery of an onstage streaker, seem like no big deal. The exchange was, without hyperbole, the most shocking moment in Oscars history. In response, her husband, Will Smith, marched up to the stage, struck Rock in the face, and walked back to his seat, shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” Chris Rock, on hand to present the award, made a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith (“Jada, I love you. But nothing tonight, or in the 94-year history of the Academy Awards, could have prepared viewers for what happened during the presentation of Best Documentary Feature. (Dash had argued in favor of axing both Black History Month and BET on an episode of Fox & Friends.) The audience was not amused.This year’s Oscars had a slightly chaotic air to them from the start, with awards choppily edited in from earlier in the night, three hosts awkwardly trading off zingers, and bizarre fan-voted prizes given to the films of Zack Snyder. Happy Black History Month!” before walking off. Introduced as “the new director of minority outreach program,” Dash took the stage and said: “I cannot wait to help my people out. ![]() But it wasn’t the comedian who shocked viewers-Rock delivered a hilarious, thoughtful monologue about race in Hollywood-it was actually his bit with former Clueless actress and Fox News commentator Stacey Dash that didn’t quite land. ![]() ![]() At the ceremony, things seemed destined to get a little awkward the host that year, Chris Rock, has never been one to shy away from controversial humor. The snub inspired a boycott and kicked off the #OscarsSoWhite campaign, which went viral and eventually led to the Academy diversifying its membership. In 2016, for the second year in a row, all 20 Oscar acting nominations went to white actors. Photo: Corbis Images Chris Rock’s Race Joke Isn’t So Funny
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