Will Smith confronts Chris Rock, then wins best actor Oscar

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Will Smith marched on stage and smacked presenter Chris Rock during Sunday night’s Oscars after Rock made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

The crowd at the Dolby Theatre hushed as Smith twice shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth.” Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia. She has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.

Smith was awarded best actor for his role in “King Richard” moments later and apologized to the academy during his speech.

The incident provoked intense opinions online, especially from comedians who felt it was an assault on their art. Kathy Griffin wrote on Twitter that comedians have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters. Producer, director and actor Rob Reiner said “Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did.” Judd Apatow was highly critical of Smith in a now-deleted Twitter post, describing the attack “out of control rage and violence.”