What on Earth just happened at the Oscars?
In the most jaw-dropping Academy Awards moment in recent memory, Will Smith shocked viewers on Sunday by getting out of his seat to smack Chris Rock live on the Oscars broadcast.
The moment came as Rock, while introducing a category, made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, referring to her being bald by suggesting she make a sequel to G.I. Jane. This led Smith to walk on stage and smack Rock in the face.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
The moment brought the Oscars broadcast to a grinding halt as Smith began yelling and the audio on television dropped out for an extended period of time. Though what Smith said wasn't audible in the United States, on the Australian broadcast, he could be heard yelling, "Keep my wife's name out your f--king mouth!"
"Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke," Rock told him.
While the moment at first played like a scripted bit, it did not lead to a punchline, and silence fell over the theater after Smith yelled at Rock for the second time. "That was .... uh ... Not scripted," The New York Times' Kyle Buchanan tweeted.
Awkwardly transitioning back into the ceremony, Rock declared this was the "greatest night in the history of television."
The Oscars continued as normal as social media exploded with questions about what just happened, and minutes later, P. Diddy said on stage, "I did not know that this year was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever." Variety's Ramin Setoodeh reported that those inside the theater were just as "stunned" as those watching at home.
Watch the jaw-dropping moment below.
