This probably is the first time there had been real violence onstage at the ceremony — Chris Rock is seen being hit by Will Smith in a now viral video on the internet, onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Chris Rock was on the Oscar stage to present the award for best documentary when he started by making a few jokes about members of the show’s audience, including Pinkett Smith, whom he referred to her as “G.I. Jane” due to her closely cropped hair.
Briefly after the joke was made, Will Smith walked to the stage and smacked the comedian across the face. He then returned to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
Smith, less than an hour later, won an award and he used his acceptance speech to apologize to the Academy. However, he did not apologise to Chris Rock.
Watch the video below;