Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face at the 2022 Oscars was predicted over six years ago in a now-viral tweet. Smith is the prince of pop culture, moving from his momentous hip hop career to worldwide stardom with his fictionalized self-portrayal on the iconic sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Meanwhile, Rock is comedy royalty, earning prominence as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in the early 90s. The performer has a long resume of hosting, previously emceeing the Academy Awards in 2016.
Smith attended the 2022 edition of Hollywood's biggest night as a Best Actor nominee with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith by his side. The actor was being recognized for his portrayal of Venus and Serena William's father Richard in the movie King Richard, which Pinkett Smith worked on as an Executive Producer. Rock, who has starred in a number of films himself, was presenting the award for Best Documentary when things went south. After making a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, the Matrix actress looked visibly annoyed. Suddenly, Smith took to the stage and slapped Rock in the face.
Social media immediately caught fire with viewers weighing in on the intense scene. Twitter user @_ja_s_on_ had a unique reaction to Smith slapping Rock, as he predicted the instance over six years ago. As news spread, the fan's tweet began to trend. Check out Jason's 2016 prediction below:
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While it was technically a slap, it's clear that tension has been building between Rock and the Smiths for a while. In fact, Jason was likely referring to a joke Rock made while hosting the illustrious evening in 2016. At the time the comic quipped about the actress not attending as a protest in line with #OscarsSoWhite. “Jada says she’s not coming. Protesting. I’m like, ‘Ain’t she on a TV show?’ Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited! Oh, that’s not an invitation I would turn down!” Though Pinkett Smith publicly laughed it off at the time, it doesn't seem like it was forgotten.
Rock seemed to strike a deeper chord with Pinkett Smith this time around. Him jokingly calling her G.I. Jane after she publicly opened up about struggling with alopecia has been seen as an uncalled for blow by many. Pinkett Smith made a public statement explaining why she shaved her head last year. Clearly it's a sensitive issue, especially coming from someone whose previously cracked a joke at her expense. As fate would have it, Smith got to address the moment in real-time after winning Best Actor. Comparing his passionate protective nature to that of his character Richard Williams, he apologized to everyone but Rock, chalking the incident up to a crazy act of love. Time will only tell if the Oscars invites Smith back again.
Source: @_ja_s_on_/Twitter