The joke touched a nerve. Pinkett Smith, whose head is shaved, has spoken publicly about her alopecia diagnosis. Rock has also previously joked about her. Rock hosted the 2016 Oscars, when some were boycotting the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, including the Smiths. Said Rock: "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited."
Smith strode on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in his seat, Smith twice shouted for Rock to "get my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth." His words echoed clearly throughout the Dolby, though ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds. Within an hour, Smith won best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the academy.
After the show Sunday night, the academy posted a statement condemning violence. Some academy members, like writer-producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith.
"He disgraced our entire community tonight," wrote Herskovitz on Twitter
Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy's board of governors, said Monday on "The View": "We're not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I'm sure."
