New angle of Will Smith Oscars slap shows Jada Pinkett-Smith's reaction during incident
31 March 2022, 19:43 | Updated: 1 April 2022, 11:41
A new clip emerging on social media appears to show Jada Pinkett Smith's reaction to her husband Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars after making a joke about his wife.
The incident, viewed by millions, saw actor Will Smith take to the Oscars stage unannounced to strike host Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair loss.
The King Richard star, who later went on to win the prestigious Best Actor award, threw the ceremony into turmoil and shocked viewers.
New footage appears to show the moment of Jada Pinkett-Smith's immediate reaction to the incident, where she appears to laugh at Chris Rock's responses.
Warning: Clip contains sensitive language.
Although the footage films the back of Pinkett-Smith, it appears to show her leaning forward and laughing at Chris Rock's immediate response to the slap saying: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
But, the laughter appears to stop as her husband shouted twice in anger at Rock, "keep [his] wife's name out of [his] f*****g mouth".
Pinkett-Smith then appeared to clap her hands and laugh a second time when the comedian described the altercation as the "greatest night in the history of television."
It is still unclear who filmed the footage, but it has been viewed and shared thousands of times on various social media platforms.
Jada Pinkett-Smith appeared to break her silence and address the incident on social media following the events of the ceremony. She said in an Instagram post: "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it."
Watch slow-motion clip of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars
Chris Rock has yet to react publicly to the slap, but is said to have addressed it in a recent comedy show where he was given a standing ovation as he walked on-stage.
Will Smith has since issued a public apology on his Instagram account, where he called his actions "inexcusable and unacceptable."
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," Smith wrote.
"Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical conditions was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
Smith went on to win Best Actor at the awards, where he was given a standing ovation for an emotional speech. In the speech, he proceeded to apologise for the incident, saying "love makes you do crazy things."
The new footage comes after the Oscars organisers began "disciplinary proceedings" against Will Smith. They also said he was asked to leave, but refused to exit the venue.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in a new statement that his actions were "a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television" and apologised to comedian Chris Rock.
"Mr Rock, we apologise to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologise to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.
"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently."
