James Corden has weighed in on the unexpected physical altercation at the Oscars on Sunday.
As you likely will have caught wind of by now, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock while the 57-year-old comedian was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature.
Rock joked at the time that he would love to see the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith get involved in a potential G.I. Jane 2 movie - a reference to her shaved head. It was a sensitive area for the Smiths, considering the actress has been open about her battle with alopecia.
While Smith, 53, initially appeared to laugh at the gag, just moments later, he headed for the stage and proceeded to strike Rock, with the comic responding: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
Speaking in jest about the altercation on The Late Late Show With James Corden, the 43-year-old began: "I mean, the whole incident threw me off in a huge way, also completely ruined my chances in the Oscar pool. I had Dame Judi Dench smacking Woody Harrelson."
With a more serious tone, the host continued: "Seriously though, I applaud Chris Rock for recovering, keeping the show moving. It was an incredibly dignified response. I'll say this, Will Smith can't take a joke, Chris Rock can take a punch. A steel jaw. Unbelievable!"
As part of a scripted segment on his show, Corden was seen meeting with producers to come up with the best way of tackling Monday's episode. During the sketch, the British funnyman finds himself disagreeing with producers on the best way of recapping the previous night's Academy Awards ceremony; namely Smith slapping Rock.
"James, we have to at least acknowledge [the incident]," one member of the team said, with Corden responding by bursting into song.
"We don't talk about Jada, no, no, no," he sang, parodying the song 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' from Lin-Manuel Miranda's Encanto, which won the gong for Best Animated Film.
On Monday, Smith publicly apologized to Rock after failing to do so in his Best Actor acceptance speech, which he gave after hitting the Everybody Hates Chris creator.
The King Richard star shared his remorse for resorting to violence at the ceremony, stating that he felt targeting his wife's medical condition was a step too far, and he "reacted emotionally".
It has been reported by TMZ, however, that Rock may not have been aware of Pinkett Smith's condition.
In any case, Smith said in his post: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
He continued: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
Smith concluded his post: "I am a work in progress."