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The Oscars 2022 were running relatively smoothly – until Will Smith stepped on stage and slapped Chris Rock. P Diddy has now said the two have ended their feud.
Smith, who won Best Actor at the awards, was infuriated by Rock after he made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, comparing her hair to G.I. Jane. Jada had previously revealed she had been diagnosed with alopecia, which leads to hair loss. Will jumped on stage and hit Rock with an open hand. He then returned to his seat and shouted: "Keep my wife's name out your fucking mouth."
The moment quickly became the night's biggest talking point, though the initial reaction was of stunned silence – it was unclear what exactly had happened. Some thought it was a scripted moment, yet it soon became clear that nothing about Smith's reaction was planned.
Following the slap heard around the world, P Diddy introduced Francis Ford Coppola, Robert DeNiro, and Al Pacino, who were there to celebrate The Godfather's 50th anniversary. Diddy mentioned Smith and Rock, asking them to come together and hoping to brush things, at least slightly, under the carpet. Now, the rapper-turned-business mogul has said that Smith and Rock have put aside their differences.
"That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that,” Didd told Page Six. He declined to go into details but added: "It’s all love. They’re brothers."
During his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Smith alluded to the incident without saying anything too direct or mentioning Rock. "Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, at your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you," he told the audience. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all to my fellow nominees."
The Los Angeles Police Department released an official statement after the Oscars, saying that Rock will not be pressing charges. "LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program," the statement reads.
"The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined 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."
The Academy responded by posting its own statement. "The Academy does not condone violence of any form," its official social media account posted. "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."
For more from the Oscars, check out our Oscars 2022 winners list and our roundup of the five biggest talking points from the night.
