Comedian Chris Rock will not bring charges against actor Will Smith, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The two had a physical altercation at the 94th Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, on Sunday (March 28).
During the live awards ceremony, Chris Rock teased Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, for shaving her head, and Smith then slapped Rock in the face.
“The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) investigative entity is aware of an incident between two people during the Academy Awards show. The incident involved one person slapping the other. The individual involved refused to call the police,” the LAPD said to the media. The official statement said. “If the parties involved want to call the police someday in the future, they can contact the Los Angeles Police Department to complete the investigation report.”
Locke said to Jada Pinkett Smith before presenting the Best Documentary Award: “Jada, I love you. Can’t wait for you in episode 2 of GI Jane.” This is an obvious comparison to Demi Moore, the shaved heroine in the 1997 film GI Jane. Moore).
Pinkett Smith looks unhappy after Locke’s remarks, as her husband takes to the stage and slaps Locke in the face under the live broadcast. The moment quickly became popular online.
After Smith returned to his seat, he yelled at Locke again, asking Locke not to speak about his wife.
Pinkett Smith, 50, has spoken before about her battle with hair loss caused by an autoimmune disease. In 2018, she drilled down into her conclusion about hair loss on her Facebook talk show series Red Table Talk.
After the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement on its Twitter account. Still, it did not publicly say whether it would take further action against Smith.
“The Academy does not tolerate violence,” the tweet said.
“Tonight, we are excited to congratulate our 94th Academy Award recipients, who deserved this moment and were greeted by peers and film lovers worldwide. Commendation.”
That night, Smith won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “King Richard.” Smith played Richard Williams, father of sister tennis champion Venus Williams and Serena Williams.
Smith appeared emotional in his acceptance speech and apologized to the Academy and other nominees, but he did not mention Locke directly.
“Love makes you do crazy things,” Smith said of his actions.
“Thank you. I hope the Academy will invite me again.”
