You’ve seen it on TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, everywhere: Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. The blow to Rock’s face was censored on United States television, but other countries like Japan and Australia had the video with full audio. But what encouraged Smith to smack Rock?

It all started with Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett, at the Oscars awaiting the reveal of the “Best Documentary” award. Rock was on stage playing the role of host at this point, and Pinkett and Smith were in the front row of the audience.

“Jada, I love you,” Rock said. “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?”

It’s unsure whether or not Rock meant to be offensive, referencing Demi Moore’s shaved head in G.I. Jane to Pinkett’s shaved head from her alopecia. In response to Rock’s statement, Pinkett was visibly unhappy. Watchers of the live saw Smith laughing at the joke. However, Smith turned to his wife, and after seeing she was despondent, he got up and slapped Chris Rock’s face. 

Rock, after steadying his balance, exclaimed to the audience:

“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me, everybody.”

After Smith sat back down, he shouted from the audience, “Keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth.” To which Rock replied, “Wow dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke.” Smith then repeated his statement, and Rock said “I’m going to, okay?” which caused most of the ruckus to calm down. As Chris Rock continued to announce the Oscars, Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. 

There has been much controversy regarding the situation. Some believe Smith’s laugh at the beginning was only before the joke “sank in,” and he realized it was offensive to Pinkett. Others think Rock should have hit Smith back, but also agree Rock handled the situation the right way, not using violence as an answer. Smith publicly apologized for the incident, but Rock claims Smith never personally reached out at all. Because of  all this, Will Smith is banned from the Oscars for ten years, and will be unable to attend any Academy events for that period of time.