The gala of these Oscars has been quite flat and with hardly any mention of topics other than the films and the thanks to those who have made them possible. She had only been encouraged by the controversy for presenting eight awards off camera so as not to lengthen the event, which, even so, lasted more than three hours. However, in a twist that even the best script did not, around four in the morning (Spanish time), Will Smith got up from his chair in the stalls and exploded.
The American comedian Chris Rock, known for his satirical and acid humor, was on stage. He presented an award, a piece of cake for someone who has presented the 77th (2005) and 88th (2016) editions of the great film festival. In his sights he placed Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of the actor who became famous with the ‘good-natured’ series ‘The Prince of Bell Air’. In the middle of the speech he compared her shaved hair to that of Lieutenant O’Neil, starring Demi Moore in 1997.
Rock, also an actor, screenwriter, producer and film director, got funny and said that it really seemed like he was going to star in the second part of the film… And that’s when he got mixed up. Because Pinkett actually suffers from hair problems: an autoimmune disease causes her baldness, as she herself has explained several times on her social networks. Will Smith found the joke heavy, very heavy. And without thinking twice he began to protest from his table.
His mouth became hot because he sent the comedian away several times using a word prohibited at the Oscars (fuck). And his anger reached such a point that she got up, climbed the four steps that separated him from the stage, stood in front of the comedian, yelled at him “get my wife’s name out of your mouth” and hit him with a movie punch. .
He immediately turned around to go to his place, although with erratic movements. All of this not only surprised the guests at the Dolby Theater, but also the audience, who were not sure if what they were watching was an agreed-upon sketch or not. In any case, it was a surreal moment that will go down in Oscar history.
Shortly after, during a commercial break, the actor went to a separate room where he was attended to by his representative and accompanied by some professional colleagues. He was seen wiping away tears, which for some confirmed that he had had a moment of temporary madness when he dealt such a slap to Rock. Some witnesses to that moment have also said that Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper tried to console him. In fact, the first one said: “At your peak moments, be careful, because that’s when the devil comes for you.”
In his acceptance speech for winning in the Best Actor category, Will Smith recounts the advice Denzel Washington gave him: “Be careful. At your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you.” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/17TbP1fT22
(Carla) (@shannonlada) March 28, 2022
Minutes later, when he won the award for best actor, he appeared on stage excitedly and gave a somewhat strange speech. He began by saying that King Richard, the character he plays and who gave him the statuette, defended his family. And then he complained that in the world of acting and fame, you had to put up with things like people messing with your family and that he didn’t agree. Was she justifying his aggression? At least that’s what it seemed like, although the audience didn’t react and not a single boo was heard, for example. And his son, Jaden, reacted via social media by applauding his father.
He also apologized to the Academy and ended with the following sentence: “I hope they invite me again.” All of this suggested that what happened was not planned and that she had gotten out of hand. Be that as it may, the moment, in addition to being viral, chilled a decaffeinated gala even more.
After the end of the gala, it remained to know what the Academy to which Will Smith appealed was really going to do. Would they take away the award? Would they veto him? Well, to the disappointment of some, who do not understand that someone can hit another person in public and consider that the actor’s response reproduces the stereotype of a violent and ‘machirulo’ black man who comes out to defend his lady, the response was disappointing.
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
In a tweet, the organization assured that it “does not condone violence in any form.” However, he immediately adopted Queen’s song ‘The show must go on’. “Tonight we are delighted to celebrate the winners of the 94th Academy Awards, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and film lovers around the world.” And so it was done, although probably the first thing you remember from this edition of the Oscars is not which film won the award for best of the year.