In case you missed it, Chris Rock, who was a presenter during the last hour of the show for the "Best Documentary", made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head by comparing it to the look of Demi Moore in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane. “Jada, I love you, ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” Rock said. Will Smith, who was then nominated for "Best Actor" before eventually snagging the win later in the show, was first spotted in the audience smiling reacting to the joke while his wife looked visibly upset, rolling her eyes.

Swiftly changing his demeanor, Will Smith soon walked on the stage after the joke and slapped Chris Rock in the face before returning to his seat. The entire U.S. broadcast was censored and muted but it was later confirmed by Black Twitter and international social media users that Smith appeared to shout, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth” several times at Rock. Pinkett-Smith has been sporting a shaved head since opening up about her battle with hair loss and Alopecia in 2018.

According to a statement by the LAPD obtained by Variety, the “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” it read. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.” Smith apologized for the incident during his acceptance speech after winning the award for "Best Actor" for his role in King Richard.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith began his acceptance speech. “Denzel said to me, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.” It’s like I want to be a vessel for love.” Will Packer worked as the producer of the 2022 show with Shayla Cowan as co-producer.