Will Smith’s ugly outburst overshadows Oscars ceremony

Did this really just happen? Will Smith’s ugly outburst is instantly the most shocking moment in Oscars history. Follow our live coverage.

Will Smith provided arguably the most shocking moment in Oscars history when he stormed the stage at this year’s awards to hit presenter Chris Rock over a joke he made about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.

The furious actor left audiences stunned when he shouted at a speechless Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth” - and no, it definitely wasn’t a bit.

In further tense scenes, Smith then won the award for Best Actor, crying as he told the audience he wanted to “defend” his family and was sick of plastering on a smile while being “disrespected.”

It was a bizarre, messy, ugly display from one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, playing out live on TV as the world watched.

Oh yeah - and CODA won the night’s biggest award, Best Picture. See our full list of the night’s award-winners, and check out the best and worst-dressed celebs on what was an unusually racy Oscars red carpet.

But now, to the story everyone will be talking about for a long time to come...

Furious Will Smith attacks Chris ROck

Chris Rock scored a few laughs - then everything changed.

Many first assumed this shocking moment was staged, but we can assure you it was 100% real. Taking to the stage to present an award, comedian Chris Rock first did a few minutes of good-natured roasting of some of the celebs present. He made a fairly ho-hum joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, who is bald, appearing in a pretend remake of the 90s flick G.I Jane, which actress Demi Moore famously shaved her head for. Pinkett-Smith has spoken in the past about having alopecia.

The camera cut to Jada and husband Will Smith in the audience - and Jada in particular didn’t look happy, at all.

Suddenly, Will was stormed on to the stage to confront Rock - and smacked him right in the face, hard. The hit could even be heard by viewers at home.

Rock appeared genuinely stunned as he took the hit: “Oh wow. Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”

Oh... Picture: Robyn Beck / AFP

My... Picture: Getty

God. Picture: Getty

Smith quickly returned to his seat, then yelled back at Rock: “KEEP MY WIFE’S NAME OUT YOUR F**KING MOUTH.”

“Wow, dude... it was a G.I. Jane joke?” said Rock.

The audience laughed nervously, but quickly fell silent as Smith repeated the demand: “KEEP MY WIFE’S. NAME. OUT YOUR F**KING MOUTH.”

Will Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock - actress Lupita Nyong’o (right) looked stunned.

“I’m going to, OK?” said a chastened Rock, who understandably struggled to get back on track and proceed with presenting the night’s next award.

Some wild reports then surfaced from those inside the Dolby Theatre, watching the chaos unfold during the next commercial break:

Many people inside the Dolby are stunned by the Will Smith / Chris Rock moment. It’s surreal that the show is continuing on as if nothing happened.

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) March 28, 2022

During this break, Denzel pulled Will aside to talk to him and they walk away from their seats together. Denzel now has his arm around Jada and is kneeling next to her even though the show has started. #Oscars

— Rebecca Ford (@Beccamford) March 28, 2022

Here’s an emotional-looking Will in behind-the-scenes footage after the slap:

Following the moment in which Will Smith seemingly slapped Chris Rock at the #Oscars, Smith is comforted by Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington. He appears to wipe away tears before rejoining his wife pic.twitter.com/TyXPQe1WGY

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 28, 2022

Will’s publicist also went to speak to him in a break after the incident - that must’ve been an interesting convo:

Will Smith's publicist talking to him during commercial break. #Oscarspic.twitter.com/Aa0e6j8Qyr

— Clayton Davis - Standing with 🇺🇦 (@ByClaytonDavis) March 28, 2022

Presenter P. Diddy referenced the moment after the commercial break, telling viewers: “I did not know this was gonna be the most exciting Oscars ever. Will and Chris, we’re gonna fix this with love.”

Uh, I don’t know about that. “Exciting” is one way to put this year’s Best Actor winner apparently assaulting a presenter live on stage. The Guardian later reported that Rock has declined to file a police report on the incident.

Honestly, it was hard to focus on the rest of the awards, even though the presenters gamely tried. Who’ll win Best Picture? Who cares, Will Smith just smacked Chris Rock!

And things only got weirder from there...

Will’s tearful speech

Will accepts his award. Picture: AFP

Just when this year’s Oscars couldn’t get any crazier, less than half an hour after slapping Chris Rock, Will Smith took to the stage to accept the award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard.

The star shared a kiss with wife Jada before taking to the stage, red-eyed and tearful, his voice shaking. He received a standing ovation from the audience - an interesting choice for someone who everyone just watched hit a presenter.

“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith began, speaking of the man he plays in the biopic, Venus and Serena Wiliams’ father.

“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what god is calling on me to do and be in this world,” he said.

Weeping, Smith took several long pauses - but was never played off stage, as everyone waited in tense silence to hear what was coming next.

“I’m being called on in my life, to love people and to protect people. I know to do what we do, you’ve got to be able to take abuse and have people talk crazy about you. You’ve got to have people disrespect you and smile and pretend it’s OK,” he continued.

Will kisses Jada as his win is announced.

You could hear a pin drop - but then fellow actor Denzel Washington cheered him on.

“Denzel said to me a minute ago, he said ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you,’” Will continued.

“I want to be a vessel for love. I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees.

“Art imitates life... I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”

Notably absent from his speech - an apology to Chris Rock.

Co-host Amy Schumer returned to the stage shortly after Smith’s speech - she’d earlier dressed as Spider-Man for one jokey skit.

“I’ve been getting out of my Spider-Man costume, did I miss anything? There’s like a different vibe in here,” she said, with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

Earlier, one of Schumer’s Oscars co-hosts Regina Bell had made a cheeky joke about the state of Will and Jada's marriage, suggesting Jada had given Will permission to hook up with her - but the couple appeared to laugh at the gag when the cameras cut to him.

The hosts' best jokes

“This year the academy hired three women to host, because it’s cheaper than hiring one man,” said Schumer when she and co-hosts Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall took to the stage.

L-R: Oscar hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall.

Wanda and Regina said they were there to represent Black women, living loud and proud.

“And I am representing unbearable white women who call the cops when you get a little loud,” said Amy.

Then they turned their attention to the year’s films - noting Lady Gaga and Jared Leto were snubbed for ‘House of Random Accents.’

Wanda Sykes burned The Power of the Dog, saying: “I watched that movie three times... and I’m halfway through it.”

Amy took aim at sports biopic King Richard, which tells the story of Venus and Serena Williams’ father: “We finally got a movie about the incredible Williams’ sisters... dad.”

And then there was middling climate change comedy Don’t Look Up: “I guess the Academy voters ‘don’t look’ at reviews,” said Schumer, before roasting the film’s star Leonardo DiCaprio:

“He’s done so much to fight climate change, and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends. Because he’s older? And they’re younger? Get it?”

Amy Schumer was lowed on stage dressed as Spider-Man in one hilarious segment.

Then there was Lucille Ball biopic Being The Ricardos, with Schumer congratulating director Aaron Sorkin for having “the innovation to make a movie about one of the funniest women ever... and not have a single joke.”

And the hosts said the pandemic had been hard on everyone, “even Timothee Chalamet” - before cutting to actor JK Simmons, many decades Chalamet’s senior.

The hosts also roasted themselves, though, with Schumer describing herself as “who you get when Melissa McCarthy’s not available.”

Regina Hall’s controversial sexed-up skit

Regina Hall frisks presenter Josh Brolin.

Returning to the stage by herself, co-host Regina Hall - who made sure viewers knew she was “single” at the top of the show - rounded up several handsome eligible actors for some intimate backstage “Covid testing.” Bradley Cooper, Tyler Perry and Timothee Chalamet were among the celebs who gamely took to the stage to be told she’d be swabbing them “with her tongue” backstage, while she checked if 24-year-old Aussie Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi was “legal” before asking him to join. She said she’d be asking them to take off their masks - “and their clothes.”

She called on Javier Bardem - then remembered he was with partner Penelope Cruz, and told him to stay seated.

Referencing Will Smith and Jada’s famously, ahem, “relaxed” relationship, she asked Will to join her and insisted “Jada said she’s OK with it,” which left the couple squirming (and we all saw what happened later when another joke was aimed their way).

Will definitely wasn’t going backstage for Regina’s “Covid testing.”

The bit even continued when the night’s next (male) presenters took to the stage, only for Regina to suggestively pat them down due to “Covid protocols.”

It was a funny joke - at least to start - but by the time Hall was touching up presenters Josh Brolin and Jason Momoa, it rankled more than a few viewers:

Interesting to see a female celebrity make lewd sexual jokes about male stars and physically grope them on stage. Of course, if a man did that, he’d be immediately cancelled. The double standard is laughable. https://t.co/dsnv0FXj12

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 28, 2022

I heard she groped them as well...

Imagine if a man did this on stage it'd be all over the news how is it "just a joke" when a woman does it? https://t.co/oSmjXN5xsg

— Cypnos (@Cypnos) March 28, 2022

Regina Hall was creepy not funny. When I’ve said men were creepy for acting that way I meant that they should stop — not that we should start acting the same. #Oscars#Oscar#Oscars2022

— 🎱 (@birdappfury) March 28, 2022

Unpopular opinion probably: The sketch they just did with Regina Hall on the Oscar’s was out of taste…not bc of COVID jokes but the pat down of the men or objectification…if a man did that exact thing there wouldn’t be laughter. Like yeah they are all attractive but…

— Morgan (@MorganLeeG101) March 28, 2022

Big winners

Oscar winners Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli teamed up to present the night’s final award, Best Picture, to the Apple TV family drama CODA.

It was a rare public appearance for Minnelli, who has suffered ill health in recent years and appeared frail but in good spirits.

Lady Gaga and Liza Minelli present the night's final award.

Earlier, Ariana DeBose picked up the night’s first award, for Best Supporting Actress for her role in West Side Story. Best Supporting Actor went to Troy Kotsur for CODA, who defeated Aussie Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog.

It made for one of the night’s most heartwarming moments when Kotsur, who is Deaf, signed his acceptance speech as presenter Youn Yuh-jung stood by his side minding his new Oscar:

Troy Kutsor accepts his award.

He dedicated his win to the “Deaf and disabled community - this is our moment!”

Kiwi director Jane Campion won the Best Director gong for The Power of the Dog.

Jessica Chastain won Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

CODA director Sian Helder also won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Beyonce performs at the Oscars.

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Aussie Greig Fraser won Best Cinematography for Dune, with Hans Zimmer picking up Best Score for the sci-fi blockbuster. Disney smash Encanto took home the award for Best Animated Feature Film, while Jenny Beaven won Best Costume Design for Cruella.

Earlier, Beyonce opened the show with a stunning performance of her Oscar-nominated song Be Alive, performed from a location outside the theatre.

And if you want to see the Oscars - and THAT slap - for yourself, Seven is now showing an encore screening of awards 8.40pm tonight on Channel 7 and 7plus.

Originally published as Will Smith’s ugly outburst overshadows Oscars ceremony