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Will Smith unexpectedly strode onto the Oscars
stage on Sunday and slapped Rock in the face in response to a
joke about his wife's bald head. Pinkett Smith, an actor and
talk show host, has a medical condition that causes hair loss.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Pinkett Smith said:
"This is a season for healing. And I'm here for it."
She did not mention Rock's joke or the slapping incident
specifically.
On Monday, Will Smith apologized to Rock, the film academy, the
show's producers and viewers, saying his behavior was
unacceptable and he had "reacted emotionally" to a joke about
his wife's medical condition.
Rock had referenced the 1997 film "G.I. Jane" in which actress
Demi Moore shaved her head. It was unclear whether Rock was
aware that Pinkett Smith has a disease that causes hair loss.
Less than an hour after the attack on Rock, Smith was named best
actor for his portrayal of the father of tennis legends Venus
and Serena Williams in "King Richard."
The 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
condemned Smith's actions on Monday and said it was reviewing
the episode.
If the group determines Smith violated its standards of conduct,
members could expel the actor from the organization, revoke his
Oscar, or make him ineligible for future awards.
The academy must follow a process outlined in its conduct
policy. The inquiry is expected to take a few weeks, according
to a source familiar with the matter.
Rock has not publicly commented about the incident.
The 94th Academy Awards ceremony was watched by an average of
16.6 million U.S. viewers on Walt Disney Co's ABC, according to
updated ratings figures released on Tuesday. That was an
increase of 58% from the historically small audience in 2021.
But it was still the second-lowest viewership on record, part of
an across-the-board decline in people watching live awards
shows.
The night's most-watched moment came when Troy Kotsur made
history as the first deaf man to win an Oscar, winning the best
supporting actor award for his role in "CODA." The audience at
that moment totaled close to 17.7 million viewers, according to
Nielsen figures.
About 17.3 million were watching when Smith attacked Rock. The
audience then dropped to 16.8 million but rose to 17.4 million
when Smith gave a tearful speech as he accepted the best actor
trophy.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los AngelesEditing by Matthew
Lewis & Shri Navaratnam)
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