Will Smith Dances With His Oscar at Afterparty Following Chris Rock Slap

By Daniel S. Levine

Hours after Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock in front of a shocked Oscars audience at the Dolby Theatre, the King Richard star danced with his Best Actor award in hand at the Vanity Fair afterparty. Video of Smith dancing to his hits at the party circulated on Twitter. Smith went to the party with his family, including Jada Pinkett Smith and their children, Willow, Trey, and Jaden.

The Smith family arrived at the party very late, coming just as many were starting to leave, the Los Angeles Times reports. They were joined by a bodyguard and about ten other entourage members who focused on surrounding Smith and Pinkett Smith. The Men in Black star rapped along to "Gettin' Jiggy With It," "Miami," and "Summertime." A few people at the party got selfies with Smith, while others tried to get footage of him dancing. Smith also posed for photos with celebrities still there.

Willow introduced herself to as many celebrities as she could. Jaden reportedly spoke with Timothee Chalamet, telling the Dune star, "That's how you respect a woman." Jaden was also heard shouting to his father, "I love you! You did it! That's what real [N-words] do!" The Smiths were only at the party for about a half-hour.

Late in the show Sunday night, comedian Chris Rock delivered a few jokes before presenting the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it. All right?" Rock said, referring to Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Pinkett Smith has previously discussed her hair loss caused by alopecia.

Smith laughed at the joke at first, but Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and glared at Rock. The comedian sensed the crowd didn't like the joke either. "That was a nice one," Rock said. Then, Smith stormed onstage and smacked Rock. ABC censored much of what happened next in the U.S., but international broadcasters didn't, so it took several minutes for Americans to get a better idea of what happened.

After the slap, Smith went back to his seat. "Wow, wow... Will Smith just smacked the s- out of me," Rock said. Smith was then heard yelling at Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your f—ing mouth!" Smith yelled it again after Rock said, "Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke." Rock, who has decided against pressing charges, then took a long pause before he resumed presenting the Oscar.

Smith later received the Oscar for Best Actor. He apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but did not mention Rock. "Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams! But, love will make you do crazy things," Smith said during his speech.

"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the Academy said after the Oscars. "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." 

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