The Oscars

Will Smith is an adept face-slapper, even teaching youngsters the ropes on how to wind up and deliver.

TMZ has obtained footage shot back in November showing Will and his "King Richard" costar, Aunjanue Ellis, on a junket. There was a Q&A and a little guy named Chris -- yes, that wasn't lost on us -- asked how to fake fight in flicks.

Will decided to show Chris some movie moves, calling the kid up on stage and showing off his slapping skills. Of course, Will didn't strike this Chris ... rather, he repeatedly showed him how to make it appear that someone is slapped, narrowly missing each time.

We've seen Will before when he wasn't acting, and slapping seems to be his go-to when he's angry.

Back in 2012, Will was at the premiere of "Men in Black 3" in Moscow, when a prankster named Vitalii Sediuk tried to kiss Will on the lips. Will unloaded on him with a backhand slap ... not that he wasn't justified, but it shows slapping is in WS's wheelhouse.

Of course, everyone knows by now, Will unloaded on Chris Rock Sunday night. What's interesting ... you see Will walk up to the stage with clear intent, and it seems it was an intent to slap, because there were no hesitations in his moves.

As we reported, the LAPD beelined it for Chris Rock after the incident and asked if he wanted to file a police report, because it was an undeniable assault and battery. Chris declined, so that should be the end of it.

Jada Pinkett Smith's husband may have tried to avenge Chris Rock's jab about her hair, but Jada herself said she couldn't care less what people think about it ... just days before the Oscars.

The "Red Table Talk" host posted a TikTok video just 4 days before Sunday night's ceremony, and it was all about hair ...  "Being a Black woman and dealing with hair in Hollywood, in the era I came up in, having your hair look as European as possible was always the thing, and that was really challenging because I liked my hair out wild and curly."

Jada says ... "I feel the freedom today. I don't give two craps what people think of this bald head of mine. Because guess what? I love it."

So, now the question ... if that was Jada's mindset going into the Oscars, was Will's reaction really about hair, or was it about simmering anger toward Rock? As you know, during the 2016 Oscar ceremony, Chris took potshots at both Will and Jada ... trashing Will's movie, "Wild Wild West," and calling Jada irrelevant after she said she was boycotting the ceremony.

Sources connected to both Will and Chris tell TMZ, there was love lost between Chris and the Smiths, and when Will and Jada watched Chris they were braced for another shot.

Late-night talk hosts are sinking their teeth into Will Smith's slap heard-round-the-world, with some going harder than others ... and at least one didn't really bite at all.

Jimmy Fallon opted to tread very lightly, but Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel took much more direct approaches -- so, we'll start with them.

JK recapped the entire saga well... sprinkling in light jabs toward Will, like joking that while he hoped to be invited back, he also might be waiting for the Academy in the parking lot if he doesn't get the call.

Colbert was even harsher... taking a bunch of shots at Will and his movies (calling those flicks the worst thing he's ever done aside from this), and also criticizing Oscars producers for letting Will give a long acceptance speech without much consequence at all.

Seth Meyers didn't hit the subject himself, but instead, let one of his writers, comedian Amber Ruffin, do a bit in which she recounted the horror of watching it go down with flowery prose and poetic language.

Not nearly as funny as the first 2 guys, but an interesting way to dissect it.

James Corden, meanwhile, found a very creative way to analyze the whole thing ... invoking 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' -- the smash-hit Disney song from "Encanto" -- but applied it to Will/Jada.

It was pretty funny, and made for quite the musical number ... which is right in James' wheelhouse. Dude loves to sing and dance -- and he didn't miss the opportunity here.

Finally, there was Fallon ... who clearly did not want to get into it very much at all -- not even saying Will Smith or Chris Rock's name, but glossing over the moment almost entirely and pivoting to Russia news.

That might have to do with the fact that Jimmy is known to have a close relationship with Rock -- dating back to his 'SNL' days -- but as a late-night host, also wants to have Will on as a guest ... so it's possible he's opting to stay on the sidelines.

Most of the hosts said the obvious ... that violence is unacceptable, and considering the serious nature of the situation -- it's cool they found a way to break it down with some humor, which is what they're paid to do.

Will, meanwhile, has since apologized to Chris ... but CR himself has been mum following the whole thing.

The Academy is investigating -- although it's fairly clear what happened here -- and it remains to be seen what, if any, consequences Will may face.

Ricky Gervais couldn't stop himself from joining the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars drama, and seemingly backing Chris ... tweeting a clip from "The Office" that pokes fun at alopecia.

Gervais retweeted the clip Monday from his David Brent account -- his character on the OG British version of the show -- and it shows David trying to win over his employees by taking them out for drinks at lunchtime.

Ricky's full line in the scene shows him joking about Alcoholics Anonymous, saying "I know someone who is an alcoholic and it is no laughing matter - particularly for his wife. And, she's got alopecia. So ... not a happy home life."

Now, it's not like Ricky captioned it with anything about the Oscars, but it's clearly the only relevance ... coming the day after Rock dropped his "G.I. Jane 2" quip at Jada Pinkett Smith -- who as you know has alopecia -- and, thereby, triggering Will's now-infamous slap.

Jada had announced last year she shaved her head after being diagnosed with alopecia. As TMZ reported ... Rock did not know she has the condition.

It's interesting that Ricky's sounding off about the incident -- he's hosted the Golden Globes 5 times, and always roasted celebrities left and right ... yet no one ever laid a hand on him.

Will Smith just apologized directly to Chris Rock, saying slapping Chris was "unacceptable and inexcusable."

Will did not apologize to Chris Sunday night during his Best Actor acceptance speech ... but now he's acknowledging, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive."

He still tried to justify his anger, saying, "Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."

TMZ broke the story, contrary to media reports, Chris and Will did not speak Sunday night after the slap. He's chosen to do his mea culpa on Instagram, saying, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

Will has taken an enormous amount of heat for hijacking the Oscars and ruining it for other winners. He said, "I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us."

Doug Ellin is ripping Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock over a Jada Pinkett Smith joke ... saying it's a classic case of supreme narcissism that screwed winners who were overlooked.

The "Entourage" creator even suggested Will has some sort of mental health struggle, going rogue on the biggest night of the year for the movie biz.

Doug says Will made the entire award show about himself because he couldn't take a joke, and he blasts the people in the audience for not only cheering for Will when he won Best Actor, but giving him a standing ovation.

Check out the video ... Doug doesn't mince words. He says if this were a cinematographer or makeup artist who slapped a presenter, they'd be arrested immediately or at the very least booted from the venue.

What's more, Doug -- who we caught leaving his new show "Ramble On" with Charlie Sheen -- calls B.S. on Will going after a much smaller and older man. FYI Chris is 57 and Will is 53.

Russell Wilson's love for Ciara is unliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimited -- the Denver Broncos quarterback was getting hot and heavy with his wife after the Oscars ... and they couldn't help but share the sexy moment on video.

Russ and Ciara hit up the Vanity Fair after-party on Sunday ... and as always, they looked incredible. Russ sported an all-black, double-breasted suit with black shoes ... while Ciara donned a revealing burgundy dress and gold shoes.

Ciara shared some BTS shots of their big night on the town ... with Wilson showing the singer a ton of affection as he kisses her on her cheek.

"An after party with you is My Type a Party," Ciara wrote on her post.

Of course, Wilson and Ciara are no strangers to PDA ... and have been practically bragging about how in love they are -- so Sunday's lovefest shouldn't come as a surprise.

No matter how great they looked, there was no upstaging Will Smith, who slapped Chris Rock just hours earlier in the night ... as he was also at the VF bash literally getting jiggy with it.

Cedric the Entertainer made Will Smith the butt of a joke at an Oscars after-party ... keeping Jada Pinkett Smith's name out of his mouth, and warning Will impersonators.

The joke is all on video, and it's great ... just watch Cedric do his thing. Maybe Chris Rock could take a few pointers.

While Cedric doesn't mention Will, Jada or Chris by name ... it's obvious what he's referencing here ... everyone saw what happened at the Academy Awards, and this is an after-party.

Francis Ford Coppola's making his 'Godfather' family whole again with his Oscars speech -- but never-before-seen, and pretty damn epic, telegrams reveal just how heated his war was with the late Robert Evans.

TMZ obtained these messages sent between Coppola and then-Paramount Studios honcho Evans way back in 1983 ... and the vitriol explains why it wasn't until last night that FFC buried the hatchet.

The famed filmmaker celebrated the 50th anniversary of "The Godfather" last night with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro by his side -- and, for the first time in public, thanked Evans for shepherding the film 'Godfather' at Paramount.

Their feud began after the original's 1972 release, but 11 years later they were still raging at each other -- and Francis fired off this telegram, saying things like, "Your stupid blabbing about cutting The Godfather comes back to me and angers me for its ridiculous pomposity."

He added, "You did nothing on The Godfather other than annoy me and slow it down ... You have double crossed me for the last time. If you want a PR war or any kind of war, no one is better at it than me."

The battle was, at least partly, about creative credit and Evans didn't hesitate to respond in kind, saying ... "I cannot imagine what prompted this venomous diatribe. I am both annoyed and exacerbated by your fallacious accusations, when all I do is praise your extraordinary talents as a filmmaker."

And, Evans really got personal with this ... "I can not conceive what motivated your malicious thoughts, but if they are a reflection of your hostility, I bear great sympathy and concern for your apparent paranoid-schizophrenic behavior. However, dear Francis, do not mistake my kindness for weakness."

As for how these telegrams are coming to light ... hyper-successful celeb real estate titan Kurt Rapaport was close with Evans, and before his 2019 death, he gave a bunch of memorabilia to Kurt.

Talk about hidden treasures -- the telegrams were inside one of the boxes of Evans' stuff.

While it's unclear if Evans and Coppola ever patched things up, privately -- the fact is, FFC never publicly gave him his flowers, so it was a huge moment of peacemaking.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences isn't dropping Sunday night's Oscars incident with Will Smith and Chris Rock ... opening a formal review of what went down and further condemning Will's actions.

The Academy made a statement Monday, saying "The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."

The Academy usually holds a post-Oscars meeting that goes over what happened during the show ... odds are, this review will be a big topic of discussion. It's unclear what's on the table ... it could be anything from taking Will's Oscar back, to banning him from future awards shows. Or, it could just be a reprimand.

As you'll recall, Chris Rock was announcing the award for Best Documentary when he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, comparing her to "G.I. Jane."

Will Smith and Chris Rock have not buried the hatchet, despite reports to the contrary ... in fact they haven't spoken since the slap.

A source with direct knowledge tells us Chris and Will haven't settled anything, despite a claim from Diddy saying everything was cool. In fact, we're told the whole thing stunned Chris ... who went straight to his dressing room after the slap and there has been no communication since between the two men.

We spoke to a close friend of Chris who was at The Oscars ... who tells us even before the incident with Will, he had "no intention of staying" ... he went to his dressing room and then left the building.

Then there's this ... the source says Chris had no idea Jada had alopecia and that he "doesn't have a mean bone in his body."

Chris' joke that sparked the smack was directed at Jada's short hair, telling her he couldn't wait for "G.I. Jane 2."

Our source says Chris was left "shaken and bewildered" by Will, but he still went to Guy Oseary's Oscars After Party to try and have some fun before the night ended.

As for Diddy, we're told he was backstage when the whole thing went down, but he told Page Six at the Variety after party, "That’s not a problem. That’s over." Our Chris Rock source says that's absolutely not true ... and the two haven't spoken.

While everyone's busy choosing sides after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock ... Sheila Bridges says she's disappointed in both of 'em, because their actions reinforced stereotypes about Black men.

The interior designer famously suffers from alopecia, something she discussed one-on-one with Chris for his 2009 documentary "Good Hair" -- but Monday on TMZ Live she said it feels like CR forgot their convo when he decided to joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair.

Sheila says it's already difficult for Black women to navigate in a hair-obsessed world, and moments like this just make it harder ... noting that society often ties a woman's worth to her hair. And, intentional or not, she feels Rock's joke played into the idea Black women can and should be disrespected publicly.

That being said, Sheila's hardly giving Will a pass for getting physical. She says his reaction played into the violent Black man stereotype -- so, overall, she sees everyone involved taking an "L."

Jada has been vocal about her battle with alopecia and shaved her head after getting a bald spot, back in July. However, TMZ broke the story ... a close friend of Rock's, who was at the Oscars, tells us he had no idea Jada's dealing with the condition

Shannon Sharpe says if he were Chris Rock, he would've thrown haymakers on-stage at the Oscars ... with the NFL star explaining he would've tried to beat the hell out of Will Smith for slapping him.

Sharpe made the claim while breaking down the Academy Awards on FSI's "Undisputed" on Monday ... saying without hesitation, "I would have come up out of that tux. I would have whooped Will Smith's ass."

The 53-year-old Hall of Famer said he would not have been able to remain as calm as Rock ... because he believes a slap to the face is one of the worst things you can do to a man.

"There's three things, especially in our community," Sharpe told Skip Bayless on the show. "You say the n-word, you spit on me, and you slap me. Because if you go back to when we were less than, that's what they did. They didn't punch you, they slapped you."

"Because that's the ultimate sign of disrespect."

Sharpe went on to say he believes Smith's anger was misguided ... saying he thinks Smith should have went after August Alsina over his previous "entanglement" with Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

"Go fight that dude!" Sharpe said. "That's the dude I'm looking for, that was all up in my house doing what I should've been doing!"

In a truly shocking moment, Will Smith just smacked Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at The Oscars.

Chris was up on stage Sunday presenting for Best Documentary, but before he started naming the nominees ... he was firing off zingers to the crowd, and eventually landed on Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Chris made a comment about Jada's shaved head ... saying he couldn't wait to see 'G.I. Jane 2' -- which got some groans from the crowd, to which he just sorta shrugged off.

Chris didn't think he'd crossed a line, but Will clearly did ... because he stormed the stage and literally socked the dude in the face. A stunned Rock exclaimed, "Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s*** outta me."

The American broadcast on ABC muted, and even froze, but in other countries it continued ... and Will shouted "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth" twice to Chris.

Chris eventually gained his composure again and carried on with handing out the Oscar, but the room was left tense with a sense of unease.

Jada has been public with her alopecia diagnosis for a good while, documenting her struggle with hair loss.

As of now ... Will and Jada are still sitting in the crowd.

Big Willie Style was in full effect after Will Smith won an Oscar and slapped Chris Rock on live TV ... Will was dancing to his famous hit and holding his award at an after-party.

Ya gotta see this video of Will on Oscar Sunday ... no, not the one where he slaps Chris for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith ... this one, where he's dancing to his song, "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It," at the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party in Hollywood.

There's a huge circle around Will, and a ton of cameras in his face ... and it certainly doesn't look like he's bothered by what went down on stage with Chris ... cutting loose on the dance floor, singing his own lyrics and showing off his Oscar for his work in "King Richard."

Former NBA star Charlie Villanueva, who's famously battled Alopecia, ripped Chris Rock for his Oscars barb about the autoimmune disease ... adding that he's "proud" of Will Smith for defending Jada Pinkett Smith.

Villanueva took to Instagram to express his thoughts on the Smith-Rock altercation at Sunday night's Academy Awards ... saying as someone who's had to deal with Alopecia, he knows what Jada is going through.

And, he said he can understand why Smith reacted the way he did following Rock's "balding" G.I. Jane quip.

"She voiced that she struggled with [Alopecia], and Chris Rock thought it was cool to crack a joke," Villanueva said. "We are not with Jada everyday to know the level of the struggle, but Will does."

"As I don’t condone violence, Im proud that Will Smith stood up for his wife."

Villanueva added, "As a fellow Alopecians, I stand with Will and Jada."

Villanueva -- an ambassador for National Alopecia Areata Foundation -- also took to Twitter to send a personal message to those battling Alopecia as well as to Jada ... writing in a tweet, "Remember, you have Alopecia, Alopecia doesn't have you. Don't give up on yourself. Life is just as beautiful as you."

According to The National Library of Medicine, Alopecia affects 1 in every 500-to-1,000 people in the United States ... and can affect men and women equally of any ethnic background.

Villanueva wasn't the only sports figure to praise Will for his reaction Sunday ... former UFC star Tyron Woodley also said on social media that he supported Smith's slap -- saying, "i fight over women, especially the women in my family, Sisters, & Daughter."