Chris Rock Not Pressing Charges Against Will Smith After Oscars Slap
Chris Rock has opted not to file a police report against Will Smith after the Oscar-winning actor slapped him in the face during Sunday night’s Academy Awards ceremony.
According to Deadline, the Los Angeles Police Department approached the comedian at the Dolby Theatre soon after the event finished airing on ABC. However, Rock declined to press charges against Smith, who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard earlier in the night.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the police said in a statement. “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.”
Rock has up to six months to file a report should he change his mind. In California, simple assault is categorized as a misdemeanor and holds a potential sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The incident in question came after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith starring in G.I. Jane 2, referring to her buzzcut. The Matrix actress has been open in the past about suffering from alopecia. Following the gag, Smith stormed up to Rock and slapped him across the face. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth,” he yelled as he returned to his seat.
Addressing the situation on Twitter, the Academy issued a statement saying it “does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
Smith later apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his acceptance speech. “Art imitates life,” he said. “I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams ..love will make you do crazy things.”
