Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock: What Unfolded Behind the Scenes at the Oscars Immediately After the Incident
etonline.com2022 Oscars will forever be remembered for the so-called slap heard 'round the world, when Will Smith stormed onstage and slapped presenter Chris Rock in the face before returning to his seat and proceeding to cuss him out, all over a joke Rock made at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.The moment was unsettling, unexpected, confusing and changed the atmosphere for the remainder of the evening.
But as chaotic as things were in the theater, a source tells ET that it was much more so backstage.«Behind the scenes there were a lot of people, different voices and opinions all weighing in on what had just happened, and what was the right course of action,» the source says of the moments immediately following the altercation.The moment came as a surprise to all involved, and even the producers of the show apparently had to figure out if this was an unplanned stunt between Smith and Rock, and if Rock was hurt.«There were just minutes to first figure out if it was a stunt,» the source recalls, «and then try and get people on the same page including the producers, ABC, the Academy, reps — who were not all in the same place physically or looking at their phones in real time.»The sources adds that «people were checking that Chris Rock was OK....
and to see if Chris even wanted to press charges.»In a statement to ET on Sunday night, after the Oscars came to a close, the LAPD said they were aware of the incident but that «the individual involved has declined to file a police report.»«LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,» the statement read. «The incident involved one individual slapping another.
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