As you’ve likely heard, the 94th Academy Awards telecast was a little more explosive than usual, as actor Will Smith took the stage to slap Chris Rock in the face in reaction to a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith.
Indeed, it would turn out to be a strange night for Smith as he would end up winning his first-ever Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role just hours later.
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But while the fallout from this incident has left fans and other commentators divided over who was in the right in this situation, some wondered what legal consequences Smith would face for striking Rock.
However, it doesn’t appear likely that Smith will see any repercussions from the Los Angeles Police Department as Rock has declined to press charges. And according to hip hop mogul Diddy, that may not come as such a surprise for those who saw the two men together after the event.
For those who missed it, the incident began with Rock addressing Pinkett Smith, saying that he couldn’t wait to see her star in G.I. Jane 2.
As CNN reported , this was a reference to her shaved head, a measure she took in response to the hair loss she dealt with amid her struggles with alopecia.
Although the events that followed were partially edited from the award show’s American broadcast, international versions showed Smith walking up on stage and striking Rock across the face.
Once he returned to his seat, Smith could be heard yelling at a stunned Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your (expletive) mouth.”
After a brief exchange, Rock got back on track and introduced the nominees for Best Documentary, but not before referring to the surprise as “the greatest night in the history of television.”
The fact that Smith’s acceptance speech included an apology to the Academy and his fellow nominees also generated some discussion as none of his words of contrition were addressed to Rock.
But if that reflected how Smith was feeling at the time, it seems that tensions had lowered by the end of the night.
Because if that speech made it sound as though the two men are still at odds, Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs told Page Six that this isn’t the case.
In his words, “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that.”
He then added, “It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
That said, he did not elaborate on how the stars came to reconcile aside from an allusion during the show that they would address their issues at the Oscars After Party as part of his introduction to a The Godfather tribute.
His statements are consistent with Page Six’s earlier report that Smith and Rock had arranged to talk out their issues after the Oscars ended.
At the same time, a conflicting report from TMZ states that the two have not spoken at all since the slap. A person claiming to be a close friend of Rock’s also said that he was unaware of Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.
How things progress from here will either confirm or cast doubt on how close this source is to Rock.
h/t: Page Six
