Deion Sanders Has Message for Will Smith and Chris Rock After Oscars Slap

The 2022 Oscars made major headlines when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the live broadcast. It led to a ton of reactions on social media, and one person who had a strong reaction was Pro Football Hall of Famer and Jackson State football coach Deion Sanders. On Twitter Sanders had a message for Smith and Rock after he watched the incident. 

“Did I just see what I just saw!” Sanders wrote on Twitter. “[Will Smith] and [Chris Rock] live on stage!!! Somebody tell me this was a joke. Please. Chris took it like a STANDUP GUY LITERALLY!!! WOW WOW WOW! Lord help us please help us Love each other especially in front of company.”

In another Tweet, Sanders had a  suggestion about the Oscars coverage. “Can we get [BET] awards after party host to the [OSCARS] immediately for post [OSCARS] live interviews about the [Will Smith] [Chris Rock] exchange!” Sanders said. Was it real or fake and [Chris Rock] has the strongest jaw I’ve seen in a while if this was real. I need interviews forget the [Oscars].”

Smith slapped Rock because he didn’t like a joke that was made towards his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock joked about Pinkett Smith’s hair, leading to Smith going up on stage and slapping him. While some fans thought it was staged, that changed quickly when Smith yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth!” to Rock twice. Rock went on to present the award but was shocked by the incident. 

In 2018, Pinkett Smith opened up about her issues with hair loss as she suffered from an autoimmune disorder called alopecia. On Red Table Talk, Pinkett Smith said, “It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?’”

After the show, the Academy Awards issued a statement on the Smith and Rock incident. The statement read: “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.” It was also revealed by the Los Angeles Police department that Rock declined to press charges on Smith for the slap.