A History of Will and Jada’s Oscar Night Issues With Chris Rock

Other people laughing might have been too much for Smith to handle.

He was smiling literally seconds beforehand as Rock joked about how Javier Bardem wouldn’t want to win on a night his wife, Penélope Cruz, lost, so if that was the case he’d be praying for Smith to win.

But when Rock then made his not particularly creative joke about Jada’s shaved head, she looked extremely unamused. Smith was actually still kinda laughing. But seeing Pinkett Smith’s stare of death, Rock quipped, “That was a nice one, okay?”

And then in the blink of an eye, Smith was approaching Rock—who was on stage to present Best Documentary—and slapping him.

At first it seemed as if that had to be fake, but witnesses have made it clear that the tension in the room was so thick you needed a steak knife.

“Oh, wow! Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s–t out of me,” Rock said, according to VanityFair.com, as Smith walked away, looking not altogether furious. Rather, he had sort of a pleased, that’s-what-happens-when-you-screw-with-me kind of expression on his face. Almost a grin.