It is the Oscar moment no one will soon forget. While presenting at the Oscars on March 27th, Chris Rock was slapped in the face by Will Smith after making a remark about his wife, Jade Pinkett Smith. Airing live, viewers at home wondered if Chris would file a complaint with the police, but as of show night, the comedian has declined to do so, according to a statement from the LAPD, given toHollywoodLife.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the statement reads. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
In case you missed the moment, Chris came out on stage to present the award for Best Documentary. Will was seated right in front of the stage, as he was a front runner in the Best Actor category. While he was standing in front of the audience, Chris made a remark about Jada, who was seated next to Will, and her bald head. The comments found Will quickly on his feet and up on stage, walking towards Chris. Once they came face-to-face, Will slapped the comedian.
From his seat, Will shouted obscenities at Chris, who carried on with giving out the award. In the aftermath, Will was spotted being talked down by his fellow actors Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper. It was clear the moment affected him when won his Best Actor award and took to the stage. Through tears, he spoke about ‘life imitating art’ and giving his apologies to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but he did not apologize to Chris Rock. HollywoodLife has reached out to both of the actors reps for comment, but did not immediately hear back.