Will Smith lit social media on fire on Sunday night during the live airing of the 94th annual Oscars.
The drama kicked off after Chris Rock took to the stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature and used the opportunity to take a jab at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Rock made a joke about the actress being able to star in a ‘G.I. Jane’ film because of her bald haircut. Pinkett-Smith has been publicly vocal about her struggles with alopecia that caused her hair to fall out.
The joke did not sit well with the audience, Will or Jada, and Will approached the stage to confront Chris.
Following the altercation, Smith took the stage to accept the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in ‘King Richard’ which tells the origin story of Venus Willams and Serena Williams and their father Richard.
Will bested other nominees Denzel Washington, Benedict Cumberbatch, Javier, and Andrew Garfield.
The honor marks Smith’s first-ever Oscar win as he joins only four other Black men who have won the Best Actor Academy Award including Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, Jamie Foxx, and Forest Whitaker respectively.
Will took the stage to deliver a powerful and emotional speech where he talked about protecting his family and black women. He also issued an apology to the Academy and his industry colleagues.
