Oscars 2022: Will Smith hits Chris Rock

Actor Will Smith smacked Oscars presenter Chris Rock in the face after taking offense at a joke made by the latter which referenced the hairstyle of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday.

Smith, who later won the award for best actor for "King Richard," slapped Rock over a joke he made referencing the 1997 movie "G.I. Jane," in which actress Demi Moore had shaved her head.

Pinkett Smith has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder causes hair loss, often in clumps. She publicly revealed her diagnosis in 2018.

Smith drops f-bomb as joke turns sour

After what seemed at first to be a scripted confrontation, the mood quickly turned somber when Smith returned to his seat and shouted back: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth."

Reports indicated that a visibly upset Smith had to be "pulled aside and comforted" by actors Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry during a commercial break, while Bradley Cooper could also be seen speaking with the "Men in Black" actor.

"Will and Chris, we're going to solve that like family. Right now we're moving on with love," said Sean "Diddy" Combs, as he presented the next section of the ceremony.

Up until the altercation between the two stars, the show had been running fairly smoothly. In major highlights, Ariana DeBose became the first Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award for supporting actress, while Troy Kotsur became the first deaf actor to win an acting award.

see/jsi (Reuters, AP, dpa)