Why Did Will Smith Hit Chris Rock in the Face at the Oscars?

Will Smith storms the stage after Chris Rock makes a tasteless joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Will Smith stunned the world when he stormed the stage to slap Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards. Image courtesy of ABC.

The 94th Academy Awards were off to a pretty standard start. Stars and film lovers alike were bubbling with excitement to see the historic awards show return to its pre-pandemic glory. The red carpet glamour was on point, and the hilarious hosts of the night Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer poked fun at the audience in lighthearted jest.

But the night took a turn when comedian Chris Rock took the stage and made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith. He told Jada that he can’t wait to see her in G.I. Jane II.

G.I. Jane movie poster. Image courtesy of IMDb.

This comment was particularly offensive because Jada Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes baldness. Jada clearly was offended by the comment and rolled her eyes at the joke. Will Smith was so upset that he stormed on stage and slapped Chris Rock across the face.

When he returned to his seat he yelled to Chris Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”. Many people saw this happen on live tv and were…