Will Smith slaps Chris Rock on Oscars stage after Jada Pinkett Smith joke

Will Smith (right) slaps Chris Rock onstage during the Oscars. Photo: AFP

Chris Rock and Will Smith had an apparent altercation during the 2022 Oscars telecast.

Rock appeared on stage to present the Oscar for documentary feature and made a joke about Jada-Pinkett Smith being in G.I. Jane because of her shaved bald head.

Smith then took the stage to slap Rock.

Although it appeared to be a joke at first, Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock: "Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth!"

Many in the Oscars audience appeared stunned at the altercation.

ALSO READ: Will Smith wins best actor Oscar, does not say sorry to Chris Rock for onstage slap

Will Smith (left) and Jada Pinkett Smith arrive at the Oscars. Photo: AP

Diddy was the next presenter during the ceremony, where he appeared to introduce the 50th anniversary celebration to The Godfather.

Diddy addressed the situation by saying: "Will and Chris, we're going to solve that like family. Right now we're moving on with love. Everybody make some noise."

Jada Pinkett Smith announced last year she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia.

The actor said in an Instagram post: "Now at this point, I can only laugh... y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day...it just showed up like that. Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I'd just share it so y'all not asking any questions...Mama's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends... period!"

ALSO READ: Jada Pinkett Smith opens up about having alopecia which causes bald spots, hair loss

Later, Smith won his first Academy Award, capturing the best actor honour for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the determined father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

Variety has reached out to ABC for further comment on the Smith-Rock incident.

Here's the moment Chris Rock made a G.I. Jane 2 joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, prompting Will Smith to hit him and yell at him. – Reuters

ALSO READ: Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for Oscars slap: 'I was out of line and I was wrong'