Chris Rock‘s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith during the 2022 Oscars didn’t land well with the actress or her husband, Will Smith.
“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it. Alright?” Rock joked during the awards show that March, adding, “That was a nice one.”
Pinkett Smith, for her part, was seen rolling her eyes on screen before Smith walked up to the stage and slapped Rock. The incident, which originally appeared scripted, caused ABC to mute the live segment. The King Richard star returned to his seat before saying, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth.” In response, Rock attempted to laugh the situation off before promising not to mention Pinkett Smith.
The former Saturday Night Live star’s joke, which was in reference to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, came after the Red Table Talk host previously opened up about her alopecia diagnosis. The medical condition is known to cause hair loss.
Though Smith later apologized to Rock, the damage had already been done — Smith was banned from The Academy and all Academy-related events for 10 years.
Later, in October 2023, Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Smith had been separated for six years at the time of the infamous slap — though the two are “still figuring it out.”
Scroll down for everything to know about what happened between Smith and Rock — as well as the Pinkett Smith of it all: