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It seems that US comedian Chris Rock is not familiar with the premise of one of the most popular American TV shows in the history of light entertainment.
This was on full display for all at the 2022 Oscars today, as Will Smith reminded a global audience that he wasn’t necessarily playing a character in the ‘Fresh Prince Of Bel Air’.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originall aired on NBC from 1990 to 1996. The series stars Will Smith as ‘Will’, a street-smart teenager born and raised in West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his wealthy uncle and aunt in their Bel-Air mansion in Los Angeles. The sitcom follows the comedy and drama that follows the street kid, whose lifestyle often clashes with that of his upper-class neighbours.
The intro song for the famed TV institution serves as a narrative-building rap monologue, where Will Smith explains how he found himself in LA, after growing up ‘in West Philadelphia born and raised’.
However, according to tonight’s scenes at the Oscar Awards, the 53-year-old father of 3 has still not culturally acclimatised to the leafy streets of Los Angeles.
In what may be the most human moment in the history of the Academy Awards, Will Smith has jumped onstage and taken a swing at Chris Rock while the comedian was presenting the Best Documentary at the 2022 Oscars.
The unscripted moment arrived after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, a symptom of alopecia. “Jada, love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,”
Rock said, before the actress rolled her eyes. Will walked up to the stage, hit Rock, and returned to his seat.
Jada Pinkett Smith has a shaved head, due to alopecia. This is what appeared to instigate Smith’s outburst.
He then returned to his seat and shouted to Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” – twice.
The crowd of pearl-clutching actors and directors sat speechless, as Chris Rock attempted to dig himself out of the hole.
To his credit, Chris Rock does look like he’s taken a punch or two on stage before, as the flustered comic continued through his short set to present the award.
At time of press, Will Smith had just won the Best Actor for King Richard. He is now giving a speech. What an emotional rollercoaster.
