The new footage was uploaded to social media today (Thursday, 31 March).
Several days on since it happened, the online world still seems to be reacting to the moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock following a joke made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
According to the Academy, they asked Will Smith to leave the ceremony after the altercation took place (although according to some sources, he wasn’t asked to leave at all), and later that night, Smith won the Best Actor award for his role in King Richard.
Initially, Smith apologised first to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his acceptance speech for the Academy Award, before apologising to Chris Rock on social media on Monday evening (28 March).
Everyone from Jim Carrey to Joe Rogan has shared their opinions on the event, but today, a camera angle from within the audience at the ceremony shows a new angle on what happened, revealing Jada Pinkett Smith’s initial reaction to the slap.
The footage picks up just seconds after the slap itself, just before Rock says “Will Smith just slapped the shit out of me,” and from the angle – which admittedly is tough to decipher, as it mostly shows just the back of Jada’s head – it appears that she initially thought it was a scripted joke, along with most of the audience and viewers at home.
It is only when Smith follows this up with the shout of “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” does the full gravity of the situation begin to sink in for everyone in the auditorium.
Watch the newly revealed clip here:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CbwJ9ZFg_M3/