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The Oscars 2022 were easily one of the wildest in the show’s history. Comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, and the punchline did not go over well with her husband, Will. At first, Smith seemed to laugh at the joke until he saw Pinkett Smith’s visibly annoyed reaction. After that, he walked on stage and slapped Rock in the face, cementing the 94th Academy Awards as one of the most bizarre moments caught on camera. However, Smith may suffer the consequences of his actions if the Academy asks for his Oscar back.

Will Smith, in tears during his Best Actor acceptance speech, slapped Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith at the 2022 Oscars.
Will Smith accepts the Actor in a Leading Role award for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards | Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

What exactly happened to cause Will Smith to slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars?

Most celebrities expect to be the butt of the joke when a comedian takes the stage at the Oscars. Rock cracked jokes about a few people in the audience before landing on Pinkett Smith. 

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?” Rock said, referencing Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

The movie Rock referred to is a play on the 1997 film G.I. Jane starring Demi Moore as Jordan O’Neil, the first woman to participate in Navy SEAL training. In the movie, Moore shaves her head for the iconic look.

However, Pinkett Smith’s hair loss is due to alopecia. In December 2021, Pinkett Smith posted a video on Instagram of her saying she would embrace the disorder that causes hair loss, according to Billboard.

The video posted to Instagram shows Pinkett Smith fingering through her hair at the time and bringing attention to the balding areas. “Y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia and just all of a sudden one day, look at this line right here. Look at that,” she said.

“So it just showed up like that and this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide,” she added. “So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all are not asking any questions.”

Why Will Smith might lose his Oscar

In 2017, the Academy released a Code of Conduct in the wake of several sexual misconduct allegations that rocked the movie industry. According to Variety, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson sent a letter to members shortly after.

The letter read, “There is no place in the Academy for people who abuse their status, power or influence in a manner that violates recognized standards of decency. The Academy is categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disability, age, religion, or nationality. The Board of Governors believes that these standards are essential to the Academy’s mission and reflective of our values.”

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Chris Rock previously targeted Jada Pinkett Smith for his jokes

This isn’t the first time Rock has targeted Pinkett Smith. In 2016, Rock joked about Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars.

“Jada said she’s not coming,” Rock joked. “I was like, ‘Isn’t she on a TV show?’ Jada’s gonna boycott the Oscars? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited!”

Pinkett Smith brushed the insult off at the time. However, it looks like the 2022 Oscars bit was enough to push Pinkett Smith and Smith over the line. 

Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for all your Oscars 2022 updates!

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