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The 94th Academy Awards will forever be etched in the annals of Oscar history, not for its winners or glamorous red carpet, but for an unexpected live TV moment that left everyone stunned.
On the fateful evening of March 27, 2022, Chris Rock stepped up to present the Best Documentary Feature award. In true Rock fashion, he made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, catching the attention of her husband, Will Smith. Initially seen laughing, Smith’s demeanor swiftly shifted as he strode onto the stage, delivering a slap to Rock’s face. The actor then returned to his seat, shouting at Rock amidst the audience’s shocked silence.
This incident eclipsed all other events of the night and signaled a downturn in Smith’s career, tarnishing the once-stellar reputation of the Men in Black star. Although Smith later issued an apology to Rock, the public’s perception of him was irrevocably altered.
For Chris Rock, the ordeal was a humiliating moment, leaving him vulnerable before millions of viewers worldwide, unable to retaliate or defend himself.
Recently, rumors circulated about a potential face-to-face interview between the two men, fueling speculation of a public reconciliation. However, these claims originated from a viral post on X, which turned out to be from the Hoops Crave parody account, not the credible Pop Crave source. Thus, the purported televised meeting remains a fabrication.
But now there is a claim that both men are ready to sit down for a face-to-face televised interview. This information came from a viral post on X; however, it’s not accurate. In fact, the Hoops Crave account is a parody account and not affiliated with Pop Crave.
On March 2, the former posted, “Will Smith and Chris Rock will sit down for a one-on-one interview with ABC News.”
The post quickly generated over 25,000 likes, more than 4,000 reposts, and was viewed at least 3 million times. Eventually, the post was flagged by X as fake news, as no such interview has been announced.
Celebrity commentators Rita Panahi and Kinsey Schofield talked about why the slap incident was especially damaging to Smith’s career and the perception of him since among fans.
“His fall from grace, I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it in the celebrity world,” Panahi said.
Schofield added, “It contradicted who he was so completely. We thought that he was everyone’s best friend. We thought he was a happy-go-lucky … He’s the same guy that refused to curse in his music … It was hard for us to digest. I think we were incredibly disappointed.”
In 2025, three years after the “slap heard ’round the world,” Rock was asked if he’s ever host the Oscars again and told E! News, “You never know. This is what I would say, ‘the most miserable people on earth are people that can’t forgive. And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes.’ So, hey, you never know. I live in forgiveness. True love starts at forgiveness.”
Smith received a 10-year ban from the Academy Awards for his actions that night, and previously suggested that he is letting that stand and has no plans to appeal the decision, saying, “ I’m gonna take what I get with that.”
Perhaps Rock will host sometime during Smith’s ban to ensure nothing gets out of hand again.