Copyright: will smith slapping chris rock
At the 94th Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) in March 2022, actor Will Smith walked onto stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock (who was hosting the ceremony) after Rock had made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock had compared her shaved head to Demi Moore's appearance in the 1997 film G.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith, who was in the audience with her husband, has a condition called alopecia areata that can cause patches of baldness.
The unexpected moment went viral online, with both Rock's joke and Smith's violent reaction causing controversy, and "The Slap" becoming a meme.