Will Smith 's slap ofChris Rock during Sunday's Oscars overshadowed the awards ceremony.- The
UFC bossDana White loved what he saw, though, and said it was the greatest Oscars ever.
The combat
But on Sunday, Hollywood stole the show, as Will Smith stormed the stage, slapped Chris Rock for telling a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, before screaming, "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth," when he returned to his seat.
Smith collected an Oscar for best actor minutes later.
There's been an outcry from some. Writer and director Judd Apatow tweeted, then deleted, a post saying Smith "could have killed" Rock with the slap.
Though Apatow was unamused, the UFC boss Dana White appeared to revel in the chaos.
"Finally there's an Oscar's show worth watching," the fight promoter quipped shortly after the altercation.
"And Chris Rock has a chin," he added, in reference to the comedian's apparent ability to not only absorb the slap but shake it off altogether.
—danawhite (@danawhite) March 28, 2022
Novice boxer and fight promoter Jake Paul sensed a financial opportunity as he appeared to put forward an offer for the entertainers to compete in a celebrity boxing event.
Paul has been enjoying a unique ascendancy in the combative sports and has been a key figure in the modern-day rise of showbiz boxing.
"Someone get me on the phone with Will Smith's boxing representative asap," the 25-year-old tweeted.
—Jake Paul (@jakepaul) March 28, 2022
He later said he'd offer $15 million for Smith and $15 million for Chris Rock. "Let's do it in August on my undercard," he added in an apparent reference to Pinkett-Smith's previous affair with the 29-year-old rapper August Alsina.
Elsewhere, the UFC commentator and former champion Michael Bisping lauded Smith as "a fucking legend" and implied in a separate tweet that actions have consequences.
—michael (@bisping) March 28, 2022
Veteran UFC fighter Al Iaquinta, 34, claimed Rock looked like he was considering roasting Smith for his actions but "held it back." He said: "Man do I wish he hadn't."
—Al Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) March 28, 2022
Rock appeared to make Pinkett-Smith's alopecia the butt of his joke when he said he was looking forward to her role in G.I. Jane 2 — a movie in which the lead actor is bald.
"If someone made a joke about my wife's health condition, a condition she's openly discussed her struggles with, I would do the same thing Will did," said House.
"Enough is enough. Words have consequences."
—Jason House (@JasonKHouse) March 28, 2022
Smith, meanwhile, returned to the stage for a second time when he accepted his Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in the movie King Richard.