Will Smith confronted actor and comedian Chris Rock on stage after comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.
Comedian Chris Rock, who is suddenly at the center of Hollywood's biggest story, is scheduled to be in Boston this week for five shows at The Wilbur Theatre.
His "Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour 2022" has two shows scheduled on Wednesday, two on Thursday and one on Friday. From there, Rock is scheduled to head off to Atlantic City and then California.
Sunday night's on-screen dispute between Rock and Will Smith overshadowed all other headlines from the Academy Awards. Smith confronted Rock on the Oscars stage after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
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Rock joked about Pinkett Smith starring in "G.I. Jane 2," apparently because her head is shaved. She did not laugh at the joke.
Smith could then be seen walking to the stage, where he appeared to slap Rock with an open hand.
Pinkett Smith last year publicly shared that she has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss. "G.I. Jane" was a 1997 movie starring Demi Moore as a woman who joins the U.S. Navy and shaves her head soon after.
Viewers at home were confused as to whether the altercation was staged at first, although the audio was cut as Smith seemed to yell an obscenity at Rock while walking back to his seat in the audience.
Once seated he again, on camera, yelled at Rock "Keep my wife’s name out of your [expletive] mouth!”
Rock, for his part, seemed stunned.
"Will Smith just smacked the [expletive] out of me," he said to the camera. He tried to tell Smith it was a joke, but Smith was not having it, and Rock moved on.
The academy posted a brief statement on Twitter after the ceremony saying it "does not condone violence of any form." It did not mention any specifics around the incident.
Smith later won a best actor Oscar for his role in "King Richard," where he tearfully apologized to the Academy for the confrontation, but did not mention Rock or offer any apology to him.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
