Ovation Hollywood: The Oscars ground was deafeningly quiet on Sunday night when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage during the 94th Academy Awards after the comedian cracked a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith marched on stage and appeared to smack Rock during Sunday night's Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, not long before winning best actor for his depiction of tennis dad Richard Williams in "King Richard."

Smith yelled at Rock to "keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) lips," and the audience fell silent as it became evident that this was not an act. Smith later apologised to a number of people, including tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, Richard Williams' daughters, but did not include Rock.

Smith opened his acceptance speech by saying, "Richard Williams was a staunch defender of his family."

He then paused, the significance of his comments evident, and teared up as he spoke about being a guardian for those who worked on the movie with him. 

"In my life, I'm being called to love people, to protect people, and to be a river to my people," Smith said during his acceptance speech. "I know you have to be able to endure abuse to do what we do." You must be able to make others rave about you. You have to be able to put up with people disrespecting you in this business. And you have to grin and seem as if everything is fine."

The argument started when Rock pointed at Pinkett Smith's shaved head and said, "Jada, I love you." "GI Jane 2, I can't wait to watch it, okay?"

In 2018, Pinkett Smith disclosed that she had been diagnosed with alopecia. On Instagram and other social media sites, she has frequently shared the difficulties of hair loss.

The joke failed miserably.

Smith walked onto the stage from his front-row seat and smacked Rock in the face with an open palm, resulting in a loud smack. Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock to leave Pinkett Smith alone. Smith yelled back at Rock, who replied that he was only making a "GI Jane" joke.

A few minutes later, rapper Sean Combs, who was on stage to deliver a tribute to "The Godfather," attempted to mediate by suggesting Smith and Rock settle their disagreements at an Oscars afterparty.

VIA JAPANESE TELEVISION: The uncensored exchange between Will Smith and Chris Rock pic.twitter.com/j0Z184ZyXa

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 28, 2022