Billy Crystal says Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars was 'an assault'
- Billy Crystal said Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars was "an assault."
- The actor called the altercation "a most disturbing incident" during a recent talk show appearance.
Billy Crystal weighed in on the altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, calling Smith slapping Rock "an assault."
During a recent appearance on Bob Costas' HBO Max talk show "Back on the Record," Crystal called the slap a "most disturbing incident."
"I've had experiences, I've hosted the Grammys three times, and I've been thrown things," Crystal said.
Representatives for Smith didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
Crystal is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the notorious incident involving Smith and Rock at this year's Academy Awards ceremony.
Tiffany Haddish, Nicki Minaj, Jameela Jamil, and Smith's son Jaden all shared messages of support for the "Men in Black" star after the altercation, while Howard Stern later called Smith slapping Rock a "sign of great mental illness," and producer Judd Apatow said Smith "could have killed" Rock in a now-deleted tweet.
The incident occurred during the March 27 broadcast of the 2022 Oscars ceremony. As Rock was presenting the award for best documentary feature, he made a few jokes before announcing the winner — one of them referencing Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her bald head, which Pinkett Smith has said is due to hair loss from having the autoimmune disease alopecia.
Moments later, Smith walked onto the stage and hit Rock across the face. Smith then walked back to his chair next to his wife and yelled to a surprised Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!"
The "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" star went on to win the award for best actor (for his performance in "King Richard") shortly thereafter, and apologized to the Academy during his acceptance speech.
Smith later issued a formal apology to Rock, saying his behavior was "out of line." The actor also resigned from the Academy amid the fallout, which led the Academy to launch a formal review into the incident.
Rock, for his part, has said he's "still processing what happened."