And the Oscars suddenly had a scene like no other.
Smith – shortly before winning the Best Actor award for his role as tennis father Richard Williams in “King Richard” – took to the stage and struck Rock during the Oscars on Sunday night after the comic made a joke. for the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name away from your mouth” and the crowd fell silent as it became clear that this was not an act.
Smith apologized after several people – including tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, daughters of Richard Williams – but did not mention Rock in his apology.
“Richard Williams was a tough defender of his family,” Smith said as he began his acceptance speech.
He then paused, clearly clearing the meaning behind his choice of words, and cried as he spoke of a protector for those who worked with him on the film, such as Aunjanue Ellis with Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, the two actors who played Venus.  and Serena.
“I am called in my life to love people and protect people and to be a river to my people,” Smith said during his acceptance speech after winning his first Oscar.  “I know we have to do what we do to be able to accept the abuse.  You need to be able to get people to talk crazy about you.  In this business, you have to be able to have people who do not respect you.  “And you have to smile and pretend it’s okay.”
Few, if any, smiles during the incident.
The exchange began when Rock marked Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, saying, “Jada, I love you.  GI Jane 2, I’m looking forward to seeing it, okay? ”  Rock was mentioned in the 1997 film GI Jane, starring Demi Moore, who shaved her head to play Jordan O’Neil.
Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia.  He has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social networking platforms.
The joke is gone, bad.
Smith took the stage from his seat in the front row and made a rock swing with an open palm, creating a loud smile.  Smith returned to his seat and shouted at Rock to leave Pinkett Smith alone.  Rock replied that he was just making a funny “GI Jane” – and Smith called him a second time.
A Rock spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the incident.
“The incident involved one person slapping another,” the statement said.  “The person involved refused to report to the police.  “If the party involved wishes for a police report at a later date, the LAPD will be available to complete an investigation report.”
“This was the biggest night in television history,” Rock said before continuing his role as presenter.
Minutes later, rapper Sean Combs – on stage to introduce a tribute to “The Godfather” – tried to play the peacemaker and suggested that Smith and Rock settle their differences at an Oscar afterparty.
“Will and Chris will solve it as a family at the Gold party,” said Combs.
The echoes did not stop there.  Several people approached Smith and Pinkett Smith during the commercial breaks that followed.  Keith Urban hugged Smith during a break from the show and Nicole Kidman also went to say a few words.
In the background, during the interviews with the winners, the Rock-Smith incident seemed like something that few – if any – wanted to discuss.
“I’m not talking about that,” said Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, director of “Summer of Soul,” which won the Oscar for Best Documentary.
The controversy overshadowed Smith’s achievement.  He has twice been nominated for Best Actor, for his role in “Ali” in 2002 and “The Pursuit of Happyness” in 2007. In these films, he portrayed real characters: boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Chris Garner, a homeless salesman.
This time, Smith won a formidable competition, including Andrew Garfield, Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Denzel Washington – who won the first and only Academy Award for Best Actor in 2002 over Smith for “Training Day.”
Pinkett Smith was also the subject of jokes by Rock when he hosted the 2016 Oscars. were not properly represented.
“I hope the Academy invites me back,” said Will Smith as he completed his remarks on stage.