Every time the Oscars roll around, there seems to be endless scandal after endless scandal but let’s be honest—this year definitely takes the cake. Following an incredibly distasteful joke made by comedian and host Chris Rock at the expense of Jada Pinkett-Smith, Oscar nominee Will Smith proceeded to storm the stage and slap the presenter live on air. He then went on to yell, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth” from his seat. The so-called ‘joke’ was, in fact, a cheap shot at Pinkett-Smith’s bald head—a result of her medical condition, alopecia.
The moment, of course, took the internet by storm—with many celebrating Smith’s defence of his wife. Here are some of the best memes and reactions to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars:
Everyone at the Oscar’s when Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock on national television #Oscars pic.twitter.com/VX7EzFyJ22
— LORRAKON (@LORRAKON) March 28, 2022
We know for a fact this moment is going to end up on one of those random videos you watch on YouTube at 3 am and it’ll probably be titled ‘12 most shocking award show moments’—safe to say this year might definitely take the top spot.
Andrew Garfield texting the other parkers to see if Will Smith slapped Chris rock in their universe too #oscars pic.twitter.com/F0dSt8Wbs6
— Vincent The Therapist (@mrhighfoster) March 28, 2022
Got to love a No Way Home meme with our favourite Spider-Man.
View this post on Instagram
Forget Marvel, we love any reference we can get when it comes to Encanto’s the Madrigal family.
Will Smith laughing at Chris Rock's joke then realizing Jada ain't happy pic.twitter.com/gQ37TAZsD3
— Gary Leathers (@Leathers77) March 28, 2022
Nothing beats this José Mourinho meme classic.
Drake somewhere in the studio right now
byu/Throwem_a_poem infunny
Uhh, does Drake even write his own music anymore?
@kaijmarii I can’t believe that just happened #fyp #xyzbca #viral
♬ original sound - Jade🦉
Chris Rock was too stunned to speak.
Andrew is 100% scrolling thru Twitter to see what everyone is saying about the Will Smith thing. pic.twitter.com/6ivx7JsZdE
— guadi (@stonemayi) March 28, 2022
This is officially an Andrew Garfield stan page as this sneaky moment of him on his phone has the internet obsessed. In fact, this snap of him alone (post-slapdown) became the meme of the night. Was the social media recluse secretly stalking the feeds for some comedy commentary on the drama? We’re hedging our bets that he’s as messy as we are.
Will Smith https://t.co/CgbQC1zaEl
— Auron (@auronplay) March 28, 2022
"Coming this Summer"
byu/Curhouse infunny
The switch-up between his laughter and slap is exactly why Will Smith deserved his Oscar.
@rod Idk. I’m just really in tune with my feelings these days #oscars #oscarsathome #willsmith #empath
♬ Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) [Single Version] - Enya
Nothing hits the spot like an empath TikTok joke. If you know you know… If you don’t, well, you’re clearly not on the right side of the app.
god damnit
byu/sebet_123 indankmemes
Are you starting to get annoyed yet? Well, buckle up, you’re in for a few more.
View this post on Instagram
Will Smith a vessel for love
by inWhitePeopleTwitter
@heyitsmickey3 Like HELLO!!?! What’s in the air tonight? Lmaooo #greenscreen #OscarsAtHome #beyoncé #willsmith #oscars #fyp
♬ original sound - TBK
We’re not going to see Queen B for a while now, are we? This is why she doesn’t leave the house.
View this post on Instagram
We’re halfway there so let’s take a small break now. Among the saturation of commentary online about the slap of the century, there are many who woke up this morning without a scooby about what went down—nor did they care. To be fair, they probably are in the right, seeing as how those who are typically obsessed with celebrities are reportedly less intelligent—doesn’t bode well for us now, does it?
Took him a minute
byu/GymbagDarrel inmemes
@rynnstar I’m just gonna save everybody the trouble 😌 #Oscars2022
♬ original sound - Rynnstar (Free 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩)
Oh, that's hot. That's hot.
byu/Jesse_Killz inmemes
Looks like Euphoria Sundays are here to stay with the messiness of last night… Will ran onto that stage to slap the fuck out of Cassie—sorry, Chris.
gonna tell my kids i witnessed both the la la land/moonlight and will smith/chris rock moments live
— danielle (@mirrorballfilm) March 28, 2022
Just living through historical moments everyday, no big deal.
Nobody wants to hear any hot takes about Will Smith’s ‘display of violence’ at the show, not when predators, abusers and accused rapists have a plethora of shiny gold trophies to go around—I mean hello? Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Casey Affleck and not to mention the accusations resurfacing around Jared Leto who won an Oscar for his role in Dallas Buyers Club. There are no calls to strip them of their Oscars but then again, they have one thing in common… they’re white.
@kneeneebop My grandmother getting technical about punches and slaps #oscars #willsmith #chrisrock #oscarslap #OscarsAtHome #UnsealTheMeal #InstaxChallenge #WomenOwnedBusiness #BridgertonScandal
♬ original sound - Janine
This adorable grandmother is living for Smith’s defence of his wife.
Man, I just woke up. Don't cancel me.
byu/saurish_n inmemes
Another one for the people who don’t care, we see you and we respect you.
chris rock walking to his uber after the oscars end https://t.co/s1wONnz6pV
— trish (@ultragloss) March 28, 2022
After last night, it looks like Rock’s going to lay low for a while…
Clap if you would've smacked him https://t.co/YgdbSegyAL
— sexy motion haver (@MsOxtail) March 28, 2022
This. This right here is the best joke I’ve seen all day and if you’re a Wendy Williams fan then you’ll agree—her hilarious and controversial commentary on everything celebrity has been sorely missed. Williams, who has been dealing with a plethora of serious health issues, has taken a break from her hosting duties but has vowed to return despite her show’s cancellation. And if she were on air, she would have most definitely, in her classic walking-meme-way, said ‘clap if you would have slapped him’. I can almost hear it.
Strange Timeline
by inmemes
We can’t say no to another Marvel reference.
Sam Jackson hugging Will Smith like he’s wanted to smack the shit outta Chris Rock for years 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/ccj9UQBCQj
— Mr Bean (@beansontoastpls) March 28, 2022
Samuel L. Jackson must know some shit…
View this post on Instagram
We couldn’t help ourselves but include a reaction from the man himself after all the drama. Safe to say, they’re leaning into it. Now we just have to stay tuned for Red Table Talk, obviously.