Judd Apatow tweeted and then deleted a comment that Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars 'could have killed him'

• Judd Apatow deleted a tweet claiming Will Smith slapping Chris Rock "could have killed him."
• Apatow wrote the tweet after Smith slapped Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars.

Writer and director Judd Apatow published and then deleted a tweet in which he said Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith during the Academy Awards "could have killed" Rock.

In the tweet, Apatow wrote: "He could have killed him. That's pure out of control rage and violence. They've heard a million jokes about them in the last three decades. They are not freshman in the world of Hollywood and comedy. He lost his mind."

Apatow made the remarks in response to a tweet defending Smith's reaction. His comments were then quote tweeted and retweeted more than 18,000 times.

Apatow was also slammed for being "ridiculous" and "dramatic."

While presenting the award for best documentary feature, Rock made a joke aimed at Pinkett Smith. Rock said he couldn't "wait for G.I. Jane 2," an apparent dig at Pinkett Smith's baldness.

Pinkett Smith has spoken out in the past about dealing with alopecia, a disease in which the body attacks its own hair follicles, causing hair loss.

Following the comment, Smith walked on stage and appeared to slap Rock before walking back to his chair while yelling "Keep my wife's name out of your f-----g mouth!"

Besides Apatow, comedian Kathy Griffin also criticized Smith for the slap, tweeting that it's "very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian."