Actor Will Smith apologized to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him at the Academy Awards show. Mr Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Mr Rock around the face. Rock was presenting the ceremony. He made a "joke" about Smith's wife, Jada. The joke was about her appearing in an imaginary movie in which the lead role has no hair. Ms Smith suffers from a hair loss condition. This makes many women feel stressed and lose confidence. In his apology, Will Smith said: "A joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear, and I reacted emotionally."

Soon after the slapping incident, Will Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor for the movie "King Richard". He played the father of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. In his acceptance speech, Mr Smith apologized to the Academy and everyone watching around the world. He apologized to Mr Rock a day later. He said: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed.…There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness." The Academy said it is "investigating" the slapping.