Chris Rock looks stunned and emotional in ‘heartbreaking’ footage moments after Will Smith slapped him at Oscars
CHRIS Rock was seen looking stunned and emotional in footage taken just moments after Will Smith slapped him at the Oscars.
The comedian’s fans were left “heartbroken” after seeing him looking dazed on stage following the shocking incident on stage on Sunday night.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Chris was seen standing behind Best Documentary winners – the makers of Summer of Soul (… or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – after the slap.
The 57-year-old star had to remain on stage as winners Questlove accepted their Oscars and delivered their speeches.
He appeared to be shocked and struggling to process the incident as he looked around him.
At one point, he widened his eyes with surprise and shrugged his shoulders.
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Fans flooded the comments of the TikTok with their support for the SNL alum, with one writing: “This is absolutely heartbreaking. Why is nobody going up there to comfort the poor guy?”
Another added: “He’s probably wondering why nobody is doing anything while he got slapped in front of millions.”
A third posted: “I’m sorry but this guy deserves more than some washed-up written apology on Instagram. I’ve lost all my respect for Will.”
Yet another user commented: “Chris you came out of it like a king. Mad respect and love.”
Will, 53, shocked audience members and viewers at the Oscars when he slapped Chris for making a joke about his wife Jada’s shaved head.
The standup comic referenced Jada’s shaved head, saying: “Jada, I love you, G. I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”
Matrix actress Jada, who first revealed she suffered from hair loss condition alopecia in 2018, rolled her eyes at the joke and looked upset – which appeared to prompt Will into action.
SHOCKING SLAP
Stars including Nicole Kidman and Lupita Nyong’o looked horrified as he stormed the stage and hit the presenter hard across the face.
The Fresh Prince star then walked back to his seat as a stunned Chris said: “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”
Will yelled at the comedian: “Leave my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
Chris looked visibly shaken and said: “Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” to which Will repeated, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
Chris said, “I’m going to, okay?” before adding, “That was the… greatest night in the history of television.”
It is believed that Chris has not spoken to Will since the incident.
The duo have yet to make amends following the incident as Chris reportedly went straight to his dressing room after leaving the stage.
, the comedian was not aware that Jada suffers from alopecia when he made the joke.
WILL’S APOLOGY
Will finally apologized to Chris almost a full day after the incident, calling his actions “unacceptable and inexcusable”.
He wrote on Instagram: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
“Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.”
He continued: “I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.”
He added: “I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
Will concluded his message: “I am a work in progress.”
CHRIS’ REACTION
Chris became emotional and said he’s “still processing” being hit in his first comedy show since the incident.
The comic performed at a sold-out show in Boston on Wednesday.
Upon receiving a warm response from the crowd, he said, “Let me be all misty and s**t,” according to .
Chris then sarcastically asked the audience: “How was your weekend?,” to which the crowd responded with laughter.
He continued: “I don’t have a bunch of s**t to say about that, so if you came here for that,” he said while trailing off.
“I had written a whole show before this weekend. I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that s**t. It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
In a statement released on March 30 to the , reps for the Oscars revealed that “disciplinary hearings” have begun over the on-stage incident regarding Will.
The Academy wrote in their scathing message: “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment.
“We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”
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They then added that Will apparently refused to leave the show.
“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” the statement continued. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”
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