Hollywood in shock after Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at Oscars

Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was stunned by the drama

It was supposed to be a celebration of Hollywood filmmaking, but Will Smith hitting Chris Rock over a joke about his wife provided the evening's most talked-about drama and a moment that will go down in Oscars history.

Celebrities from Tinseltown and beyond reacted with shock and stunned amazement to Smith's outburst, with some defending the best actor winner and others condemning his "toxic masculinity."

Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, didn't laugh and her 53-year-old husband stormed onstage, smacking Rock with an open hand before returning to his seat. 

"Love will make you do crazy things," he said. He revealed that Denzel Washington had told him after the incident: "At your highest, that's when the devil comes for you."

"He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence," filmmaker Judd Apatow said in a tweet he later deleted.

Actress Mia Farrow and British TV personality Piers Morgan both called it the Oscars' "ugliest moment."

- 'Narcissistic madman' -

Emmy Award-winning Rosie O'Donnell called out a "sad display of toxic masculinity from a narcissistic madman," while Kathy Griffin added: "Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."

"Only the fifth black man in nearly 100 years to win an Oscar for male lead, and the first in 16 years, resorts to violence instead of utilizing the power of words to slay Chris Rock. Then he claims God and Love made him do it," she said.

But rapper and producer Sean "Diddy" Combs indicated Sunday's acrimony was short-lived, telling Page Six: "That's not a problem. That's over. I can confirm that."

Some celebrities came to Smith's defense, with former One Direction singer Liam Payne telling reporters: "I believe whatever he felt that he did, he had the right to do."

And while they are not known for their scintillating humor, it was another politician who had perhaps the most amusing, light-hearted take on events.

ft/sw

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