Will Smith’s furious onstage slap leaves its mark on Hollywood’s historic 94th Oscars

Rock had made a crude joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head. “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” he said, referring to Ridley Scott’s 1997 film, in which Demi Moore plays an aspiring Naval Seal with a crewcut.

Pinkett Smith has alopecia and has been open about her hair loss and the psychological impact it has had on her. While Will Smith appeared to laugh at the joke at first, he then took to the stage and punched Rock square in the face.

He then returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth.”

The “did that just happen?” The altercation marred the flow of the evening and became the most discussed moment of the evening.

But those living with alopecia, like Irish model and actress Amber Jane Rowan, hope others will be deterred from making cruel comments about women with hair loss once the online chatter dies down.

While Amber Jane, who started losing her hair when she was 15, thinks Smith shouldn’t have met Rock, she hopes the incident will raise awareness of the autoimmune disease.

“I’m a huge Jada fan. She’s a badass woman who is constantly shedding light on, acknowledging and educating people about alopecia and hair loss,” Rowan said.

“And it’s wonderful to see Will Smith standing up for his wife and not letting anyone take a shit from him, especially on an issue that’s very sensitive to Jada… but I think hitting it was a step too far… I think it could have been handled better which didn’t lead to violence.

“Maybe it could have just been better [Will Smith] to pick up the mic and say a few words to Chris Rock… and call him out.”

She added: “Punching isn’t a thing and you shouldn’t be doing that. But there’s a little part of me that sings inside to someone who doesn’t take shit from someone who is beating up someone with no hair.”

Meanwhile, Men’s Aid Ireland CEO Kathrina Bentley says Smith’s actions on stage were inexcusable.

“There is categorically no excuse for violence against any person,” she said. “This is assault. There are other things he could have done to support his wife…spoke to Chris Rock backstage. But that’s unacceptable – especially when there are so many people watching and he has so much influence.”

The “slap in the face heard around the world” sparked a debate with some people criticizing Smith and others rushing to support him.

Shortly after, Bradley Cooper was seen hugging him Last Samurai Producer Marshall Herskovitz urged the Academy to take disciplinary action. “He disgraced our entire congregation tonight,” he said.

Minutes after the slap, Smith was awarded a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the film King Richard. In his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy and appeared to refer to his outburst.

“Art mimics life, I look like the crazy dad just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things.”

The event overshadowed the process and that was a shame as there were some historic and celebratory moments including when coda got the best picture.

codaa remake of the French film La Famille Belierwas the outlier and the first film distributed by a streaming service to win the Best Picture award.

While there was a strong Irish contingent on the red carpet, the only win was for Kenneth Branagh and Best Original Screenplay for Belfast.

Branagh paid tribute to the “amazing city of Belfast on the fabulous island of Ireland” after winning his first Oscar. He was in the running for an Oscar eight times.

He said his story was “a search for hope and joy in the face of violence and loss.”

Jessie Buckley and Ciarán Hinds had both been nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor at the Oscars for their respective roles The Lost Daughter and Belfast. Unfortunately, none of them received an award. Westside Story Star Ariana DeBose won for her performance as Anita in the classic musical, 60 years after her predecessor in the role, Rita Moreno, earned the statue in the same category.

Hinds lost to Troy Kotsur (coda). Kotsur is the second deaf actor to bring home an Oscar, along with his co-star Marlee Matlin, who won for him children of a lesser god 1987

Jane Campion won Best Director The power of doingG. Her win comes just a year after Chloe Zhao’s win with the film nomadic country. It represents the first consecutive wins by women for best director.

This year, producer Will Pecker promised to streamline the ceremony and make up for last year’s atrocious ratings by scrapping some awards and bringing in plenty of star power — Beyonce performed the opening number, while Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted.

While some of the changes worked, others missed the mark. Be introduced by a professional skateboarder, surfer and snowboarder James Bond Montage was an odd choice.

One of the most poignant moments of the evening was when Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli presented the Best Picture award. Gaga Minnelli could be heard saying reassuringly, “I gotcha,” to which the 76-year-old replied, “I know.”

But alas, it looks like the 94th Oscars will always be remembered as the one where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face.