Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face during last night's Oscars ceremony, after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
The uncomfortable moment occurred as 57-year-old Rock took to the stage at the 94th Academy Awards to joke with the star-studded audience.
At first, the Everybody Hates Chris star joked that Javier Bardem would not be able to win an Oscar if wife Penélope Cruz lost in her category.
"He is praying that Will Smith wins," Rock told the crowd, to much laughter.
Rock then turned his attention to Smith's wife, Jada - who was sat next to her husband for the evening. "Jada, I love ya! G.I. Jane 2 - can't wait to see it," in an apparent reference to Pinkett Smith's shaved head.
Watch Rock's joke fail to land and then land him a slap below:The joke once again drew laughter from the crowd - even initially from her husband, Will - but Jada looked visibly unimpressed and rolled her eyes.
As Rock then attempted to move on, 53-year-old Will Smith took to the stage and started to approach the comedian. "Uh oh," Rock exclaims with a smile on his face.
The audience must have thought it was some sort of pre-planned skit, as the room was full of a mixture of laughter, applause, and pantomime shock. However, the moment quickly soured when Smith slapped Rock across the face, before turning back to take his seat.
An uncensored video of the moment can be seen below (Warning - strong language):"Oh wow," Rock lets out, as the crowd started to hush. Rock then added: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."
After returning to the stage, Smith then starts to shout at Rock, saying: "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!" Once again, the room is full of a mixture of shock and laughter, as those in attendance try to figure out what is going on.
At this moment, let's just appreciate Lupita Nyong'o processing what the heck is going on:
"Wow dude," Rock told Smith. "It was a G.I. Jane joke."
At the top of. his voice, Smith once again repeated: "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth!"
To which Rock replied: "I'm going to, okay?"
Visibly flustered by the violent exchange, Rock then attempts to move on, saying: "That was, uh... the greatest night in the history of television."
Following the dramatic moment, the Academy released a statement to its official Twitter page, reading: "The Academy does not condone violence of any form. 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."
Later in the evening, Smith went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard.
