Featured Image Credit: Showcase Movies
Topics: Chris Rock, Will Smith, Oscars, TikTok, Film and TV
Cameron Frew
Topics: Chris Rock, Will Smith, Oscars, TikTok, Film and TV
Footage of Chris Rock shortly after being slapped by Will Smith has been shared online and it appears to show his genuine reaction to the shocking incident.
It's been the biggest Oscars talking point since La La Land was mistakenly announced as the Best Picture winner, perhaps even the most shocking moment in the entire history of the ceremony.
In the wake of this year's awards, Smith has been forced to apologise to Rock, the Academy and his fellow nominees, and a storm of discourse is still engulfing social media.
It all started when Rock took to the stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. After cracking a few jokes with
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Javier Bardem and Denzel Washington, he honed in on Jada Pinkett Smith with a 'G.I. Jane 2' joke, in reference to her having a shaved head due to alopecia.
The King Richard star appeared to laugh at first, but he then walked up to Rock, smacked him in the face and told him to 'keep [his] wife's name out [his] f***ing mouth'.
It lowered the tone for the rest of the show and overshadowed other major wins, like CODA winning Best Picture.
And now, a clip shared by @sincerelyordinary on TikTok, Rock can be seen standing behind the Best Documentary winners - the makers of Summer of Soul (... or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) - after the slap, where he looks a bit disoriented.
Take a look at his reaction below:
It's already amassed nearly 11 million views and thousands of comments broadly in support of the comedian, with one user writing: "Love him, and the saddest thing was that no one came to support him."
Another wrote: "Poor guy having to continue the rest of the night, what must have been going on in his head." A third commented: "Chris you came out of it like a king. Mad respect and love."
A fourth wrote: "I'm sorry but this guy deserves more than some washed-up written apology on Instagram. I've lost all my respect for Will."
While Smith didn't mention Rock during his acceptance speech, he later issued a public apology on Instagram.
He wrote: "I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Rock has yet to comment on the events of the Oscars.
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