Jaden Smith Reacts to Will Smith Slap at the Oscars

Jaden Smith is one of many people reacting on Twitter to what several have referred to as, “the slap heard around the world.” The 94^th Academy Awards have been overshadowed by a highly controversial Chris Rock joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense… and a slap from Will Smith seconds later.

Jaden Smith, Will and Jada’s son, took to Twitter within the incident’s hour Sunday night with a response to his dad’s reaction: “And That’s How We Do It.”

He was among several celebrities who took to Twitter to react to the shocking show interruption. The list includes rapper Cardi B, late night show host Jimmy Kimmel, comedian David Spade, and a retweet from performer Leslie Odom Jr.

The 2022 Best Actor in a Leading Role winner for King Richard was seated along with his wife Jada below the front of the stage. When Chris Rock began his set, he made several jokes that were not unlike the jokes made by the night’s hosts Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall. When he suddenly turns to the Smith couple and makes a joke referencing the Demi Moore movie in which she dons a bald hair-do, “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Pinkett Smith immediately wears a face of contempt.

Pinkett Smith has previously been very open about her condition on her show Red Table Talk, hosted on Facebook Watch. Medical News Today explains that Alopecia is an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.  

Suddenly the mic cuts out, and for American ABC channel viewers, the next few seconds were muted. But audience members could see that Will was shouting at Chris Rock. Later an Australian TV channel circulated an unedited video on Twitter and the once censored yells could be confirmed. Smith shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”

UNCENSORED WILL SMITH FOOTAGE AS SHOWN ON AUSTRALIAN TV pic.twitter.com/NcRfdjWxqe

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 28, 2022

As an Academy Award show fanatic and avid movie watcher, Michael Muth told Media Milwaukee that he felt the slap was a major moment in Oscar’s history.

“­­­­I just remember immediate confusion with the volume going in and out and Chris Rock was a statue,” Muth said. “No one could tell if it was a joke or not and then the joy of going to Twitter to see how the online detectives were reacting was amazing. It was a true rush.”

Moments later, Chris Rock could be heard from the same Australian TV channel saying, “Wow. Will Smith just smacked the sh** out of me.”

Twitter user @snowflakesout said in a reaction tweet: “CAN WE GET THIS CLEAR FOR THE EASILY OFENDED… The comparison to Demi Moore in the movie with the shaved head is the joke not the medical condition.”

Another user @driven2drink said: “If your ‘art’ is an entirely hack and dated G.I. Jane street-joke in the year 2022 targeting a relentlessly targeted Black woman AND her family as you stare at her from the stage of what is NOT a roast… then it isn’t ‘art.’”

Hundreds of tweets and other social media posts have been speculating over whether the slap was planned or not. User @hellotefi on Tik Tok, who attended the award show Sunday night, posted several videos with her thoughts. She says she believes based on employees of the Oscar’s reactions that the incident was real.

@hellotefi

Reply to @darknena I am shook

♬ original sound – hellotefi

Tik Tok user @fusedkingsta posted a clip of the incident with the caption “… but this slap wasn’t real no way.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@fusedkingsta/video/7080096203022585134?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1

Later in the night, Smith accepted his Best Actor award with a face full of tears. In a since deleted tweet, Jaden said that his dad’s speech, “…Made Me Cry,” with a selfie attached.

Will’s speech included a reference to the character he played, Richard Williams, and the love for Williams’ family he tried to convey.

“Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”