Will Smith
“King Richard”
Few best actor winners had an evening as memorable as Will Smith’s. Less than an hour before winning for “King Richard” (his third acting nomination), he set off one of Oscars’ all-time jaw-dropping moments. When presenter Chris Rock joked about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, the actor strode onstage and smacked the comic, then returned to his seat and twice shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” When Smith’s name was announced as the winner, he got a standing ovation and, in a tearful speech, said he was “overwhelmed by what God is calling me to do and be in this world.” Social media exploded over the event, while generally ignoring other aspects of the overlong and awkward Oscar show. After five days of Academy meetings, rumors, speculation, theories and gossip, Smith resigned from the Academy — a first for a brand-new winner.
Source Agencies
