Oscars 2022: Why did Will Smith punch Chris Rock on stage?

The live telecast of the main 2022 Oscars ceremony witnessed a shocking moment mid-event. The presenter Chris Rock was punched by Best Actor nominee Will Smith. Apparently, the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith during his appearance, making Will lose his calm.

The completely unexpected moment occurred after Chris Rock took to the stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature. Before announcing the winner for the evening, Chris cracked a joke and during the same said, "Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you." Hearing the joke, Smith seemed to lose his cool and walked up to the stage to punch the comedian who was equally taken aback by the gesture. After heading back to his seat, Will Smith shouted back at Chris Rock from the audience, "keep my wife’s name out your f*****g mouth."

Diddy who was the next presenter at the ceremony, addressed the situation by saying, "Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family. Right now we’re moving on with love. Everybody makes some noise".

Following the incident, during the commercial break, Smith was comforted by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry who seemed to suggest the actor brush it off after his heated response to Chris as per The Hollywood Reporter.