Will Smith tumultuous relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, apparently caused trouble for the actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
Smith, 53, hit Oscars presenter Chris Rock in a stunning meltdown on stage at Sunday’s ceremony after the comedian cracked jokes about Jada’s haircut.
After Smith strode out on stage and appeared to smack Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’
Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’
Jada, 50, who sported a buzzcut at the Oscars, is battling autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss and balding.
After the incident, Smith and Jada reportedly held hands throughout the ceremony.
The couple’s open relationship has seemingly been a trigger for Smith, having sparked chaotic conversation at various star-studded events and caused the actor to insist there ‘never has been infidelity’ in their marriage.
Smith won the academy award for Best Actor moments after he slapped Rock with an open hand live on stage.
Accepting the award, Smith issued a tearful apology for his emotional outburst, saying: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment.’
‘Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,’ said a visibly emotional Smith. ‘In this time in my life, in this moment I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do.’
Variety executive editor Ramin Setoodeh, who was tweeting live from the ceremony, said that someone who works for the Oscars told him that Rock was not interrupted by Smith at rehearsals on Saturday.
‘It was not supposed to happen. It was real,’ he wrote.
After the slap, Smith was seen being comforted and consoled by Denzel Washington and actor-producer Tyler Perry. Bradley Cooper also pulled Smith aside and was seen in close conversation with him.
Setoodeh, watching from inside the theater, said that Smith’s publicist approached him and spoke to him during a commercial break.
Smith won his first Academy Award in his 33-year acting career on Sunday for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the determined father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in ‘King Richard.’
Earlier this month, Smith and Jada found themselves the butt of a joke after he scooped Best Actor for his role in King Richard at the 75th Annual British Academy Film Awards.
BAFTAs host Rebel Wilson, 41, quipped on stage: ‘I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends!’
Speaking afterwards, Smith insisted that there has ‘never been infidelity’, despite Jada admitting in 2020 that she had an ‘entanglement’ with 29-year-old singer August Alsina.
‘There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever,’ Smith said.
The actor – who has son Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 21, with Jada – added that he doesn’t care if people speculate about his marriage and instead he encourages the ‘chatter’ in the hope it will spark meaningful debate.
‘I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people,’ he told Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning after the BAFTAs.
‘Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation and to be able to truly explore if some of the things in your heart are loving or poisonous.’
Source: Daily Mail
