LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Oscars ground to a shocked silence after Will Smith smacked Chris Rock onstage after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife. Smith cursed at Rock after returning to his seat.
Rock was presenting the award for best documentary when the tense exchange happened.
Before that, the Oscars were running smoothly and making history with their supporting actor winners.
Ariana DeBose became the first Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award for supporting actress, while Troy Kotsur became the first deaf actor to win an acting award.
The 94th Academy Awards kicked Sunday off with Beyoncé, a string of awards handed out off-camera to Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic “Dune” and a trio of Oscars hosts in Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.
