Chris Rock won't press charges against Will Smith after Oscars slap
Chris Rock has chosen not to file a police complaint against Will Smith after the Oscar-winning actor slapped him across the face during Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony.
According to Deadline, the comedian was approached by the Los Angeles Police Department at the Dolby Theater shortly after the event finished airing on ABC. However, Rock refused to press charges against Smith, who won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard earlier in the night.
“LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards show,” police said in a statement. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has refused to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
Rock has up to six months to file a report if he changes his mind. In California, simple assault is classified as a misdemeanor and carries a potential sentence of six months in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.
The incident in question came after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith starring in gi jane 2, referring to her shaved head. The Matrix actress has been open in the past about suffering from alopecia. After the gag, Smith walked over to Rock and slapped him across the face. "Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth," he yelled as she returned to his seat.
Addressing the situation on Twitter, the Academy released a statement saying it "does not condone violence in any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate the winners of the 94th Academy Awards, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and film lovers around the world."
The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
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.
Smith later apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his acceptance speech. "Art imitates life," she said. "I look like the crazy father, as they said of Richard Williams... love will make you do crazy things."
