Eagle-eyed Oscars fans are convinced that the moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith was staged.
The actor, 53, shocked viewers when he stormed on stage and smacked the comedian, 57, after he jokingly said Jada’s shaved haircut made her look like G.I. Jane.
But having watched slowed down footage of the heated moment, some social media users are insisting the slap was fake.
Claims: Eagle-eyed Oscars fans are convinced that the moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith was staged
One user thought the fact Chris appeared to recoil before the hit suggested it could be fake, writing: ‘Chris Rock grimacing for what he knows is coming. His hand barely grazed him.
‘Actors, especially action actors like Will Smith, know how to pull a punch (or slap) This was staged.’
Another said: ‘Will Smith and Chris Rock pulled off the work of the decade.. imagine believing this was real #FakeSlap’.
Another user said: ‘The whole Will Smith thing looked a bit staged to me • Chris Rock [leaning] in waiting for the slap • Will Smiths smirk on his way back to his seat after the “slap” • The slap itself didn’t even look like it really landed’.
Shock: The actor, 53, shocked viewers when he stormed on stage and smacked the comedian, 57, after he jokingly said Jada’s shaved haircut made her look like G.I. Jane
One viewer added: #Think the slap was real but still staged/planned. Chris Rock basically had no reaction & Immediately said this is the greatest Oscar moment’.
Another wrote: ‘The Oscars fiasco between Will Smith and Chris Rock was staged in order to get rating for next year but still no one watched this year and no one will watch next year either’.
Meanwhile, Will joked about slapping Chris as he partied with his family at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash on Sunday night.
Reaction: But having watched slowed down footage of the heated moment, some social media users are insisting the slap was fake
Shortly after he shocked the 94th Academy Awards by storming the stage, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere.’
Before the ceremony began, Will had shared a montage to Instagram of him and Jada getting ready for the ceremony, captioned: ‘Me ‘n @jadapinkettsmith got all dressed up to choose chaos.’
He added the new comment three hours later, just after slapping Chris, referring to his own birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his wife’s of Baltimore, Maryland.
Smiling: Will had the full support of his family as he celebrated his Oscar win on Sunday night, hours after the slap
After the slap: Shortly after the slap, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere’
The actor was joined by his wife Jada, their children Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21, and his son Trey, 30, at the Vanity Fair party held at the Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.
The actor was greeted by a crowd of cheering stars while wife Jada was by his side hours after the incident.
Chris, a veteran stand-up who has previously made jokes about Will and his wife, upset Will when he compared his wife’s hair to that of G. I. Jane’s, who has a shaved head. Jada suffers from hair loss condition alopecia.
Chaos: Before the ceremony began, Will had shared a montage to Instagram of him and Jada getting ready for the ceremony
Getting ready: He captioned the post: ‘Me ‘n @jadapinkettsmith got all dressed up to choose chaos’, later adding the quip about their birthplaces
After his tearful acceptance speech for Best Actor, Will celebrated his win at the star-studded Vanity Fair party, where he and Jada were seen working the room, receiving hugs from stars such as Lupita Nyong-o, who was sat behind the couple during the ceremony.
The actor posed for selfies, danced with friends and rapped along to his biggest hits including Summertime and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It which a beaming Jada cheered him on.
Jaden and Willow joined their parents at the afterparty.
Rapper Jaden had earlier taken to Twitter to defend his father, tweeting ‘And that’s how we do it!’ in a since-deleted post, before adding in another post: ‘My Dads Speech Made Me Cry.’
Jaden’s tweet has been retweeted more than 42,000 times and was met with mixed response from social media users.
Family: The actor was joined by his wife Jada and their children Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21, and his son Trey, 30, at the Vanity Fair party at the Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills
Man of the moment: The actor was greeted by a crowd of cheering stars while wife Jada was by his side after he slapped Rock for making a joke about Jada’s hair loss
Popular: Will was pictured in the middle of the crowd, dancing and cheering with fellow stars
By his side: Jada kept close to Will, who was pictured talking to actress Lupita Nyong’o
Close: Will had a warm hug for Lupita who had earlier been pictured looking shocked after his ceremony slap
Cheerleader: Jada could be seen smiling and clapping for her husband as they made their way inside the party to huge applause
We are family: Will and Jada’s son Jaden took to Twitter earlier in the evening to defend his dad
Some alleged the Summertime in Paris singer was a hypocrite because earlier this month he tweeted: ‘Praying For Peace In The World.’
Others outright criticized Jaden for his remarks. ‘No it’s not how you do it,’ commented hip-hop artist Ruslan.
While Willow has not addressed the incident, she did, however, post a series of photos to her Instagram page modeling a black-and-red jeweled outfit, acting as if nothing happened.
Sticking with you: Will couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he cosied up to Jada and his Oscar at the Vanity Fair bash
Star couple: Jada and Will posed for photos with Will’s Oscar at the entrance to the party
Winner: The focus was on Will’s big win as the night drew on and not the shocking slap
Celeb support: Will and Jada also posed for photo with chat show host Trevor Noah
Social media users hit back at the Whip My Hair hitmaker, leaving comments such as ‘How’s daddy doin’ and ‘Did you See What Your Dad Did.’
Others seemingly applauded Will’s actions, leaving positive comments about the actor on his daughter’s post.
‘You have the coolest dad,’ wrote @allan_mcallister.
Will used his acceptance speech for his first Academy Award to defend storming onto the Oscars stage and slapping presenter Chris.
Love: Willow shared a snap of herself holding Will’s Academy Award and cosying up to her dad
Sweet: Willow also posted a photo of Jada and Jaden sharing a hug backstage
Public support: Rapper Jaden Smith apparently applauded his fathe after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face during the Academy Awards
Keeping quiet: Unlike her brother, Willow Smith, 21, has not publicly commented on her father’s outburst
Smith on Sunday won Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the determined father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in ‘King Richard.’
But the win was completely overshadowed by the assault, which occurred about 40 minutes before his award was unsealed.
Smith was still allowed to make his acceptance speech and, with tears streaming down his face, he appeared to defend hitting Rock because he said he wanted to protect his family.
Party spirit: Willow was on great form, joking around with Chloe Bailey and her brother at the party
Jaden was pictured with film executive Franklin Leonard and actor and producer Lena Waithe
Hugs all round: Jaden was greeted warmly by Lena at the star-studded party
Rock, a veteran stand-up, upset Smith when he compared his wife’s hair to that of G. I. Jane’s, who has a shaved head. Pinkett Smith suffers from hair loss condition alopecia.
‘Love makes you do crazy things’, the rapper and actor admitted as he accepted his Best Actor Oscar statuette.
He added that being a Hollywood star means you should be able to ‘have people disrespecting you and that ‘you just gotta smile and pretend it’s ok,’ he said.
But he added that he admired Richard Williams who ‘was a fierce defender of his family.’
Whack: Chris Rock (left) is slapped by Will after making a joke about Jada’s hair loss during the Oscars
Show of unity: Will and Jada held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap
‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,’ he explained.
Smith went on to issue a tearful partial apology for his emotional outburst, but did not apologize to Rock. ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment,’ he said.
‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father,’ said Smith.
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