The 94th Academy Awards were supposed to be a night of celebration of film, music, and the thing that we all hold so dearly, going to the movies. Instead, the Oscars world, and the world as a whole, were shocked when actor Will Smith walked up on stage and smacked Chris Rock. Smith then sat down and berated him, screaming at the top of his lungs for Rock to “keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth, keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth.”
On live television, the show's director obviously had no way of knowing that was going to happen. So, we all got to see the slap before everything was muted. The audio was cut off but it was very obvious what Smith was saying. It left the world in awe, with NBA superstars sharing their thoughts on social media.
Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard tweeted the uncensored video, presumably siding with Smith because of his caption: “Lot of mfs need this.”
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant tweeted out a bunch of cry-face emojis.
Utah Jazz veteran Rudy Gay left a sentiment that many probably were thinking at home, saying “Shout out to Chris Rock for not rubbing his face after the smack. I know he wanted to.”
Charlotte Hornets guard Isaiah Thomas re-tweeted Gay's post with a caption of his own.
Thomas' teammate Miles Bridges finished their game on Sunday and checked social media, only to find it had exploded after Smith's slap on Rock.
It's an unprecedented night at the Academy Awards. About a half-hour after the incident, Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor and had to take the stage for his acceptance speech. It was quite a night.
Here are other reactions to the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident at the Oscars 2022: