Oscar audience in shock: Will Smith takes the stage after comment about his wife | Movie

Rock made a joke about GI Jane, a movie in which Demi Moore plays a soldier with that bobbed hair nickname. Smith reacted furiously: After slapping Rock, he said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”

On social media, many people were quick to point out to their followers that Jada Pinkett-Smith suffered from alopecia, a condition that causes a person to go partially or completely bald. The people in the room did not seem to be well aware of the incident. Photos of several stars in shock at the time it happened quickly circulated on social media.

Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith on the early evening red carpet.

Ⓒ ANP/AFP

Footage shows Will Smith laughing at Chris Rock’s jokes early on, but as soon as the GI Jane comment drops, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s face is clearly visible. Then her husband gets up to walk to the podium.

A reporter from The Hollywood Reporter who was present in the room said on Twitter that Smith was in tears after the incident. During the first commercial break that followed, Denzel Washington reportedly came up to him and Jada to comfort them.

Later that night, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Tears rolled down her cheeks during her acceptance speech. He apologized to the Academy for the incident, but not to Rock.

In a special and additional episode of Culture and media podcast Rick de Graaff discusses all the Oscar highlights with film journalist Marco Weijers: