The Oscars

There's growing anger toward the LAPD for not arresting Will Smith on the spot even after Chris Rock said he didn't want Will busted -- but fact is, there were only 2 ways cops could have taken Will out of the Dolby Theater in cuffs.

LAPD sources with firsthand knowledge tell us only one officer was inside the auditorium, and he was backstage and didn't see the slap. Since it was misdemeanor battery, the only way a cop could arrest Will on his/her own is if it was committed in their presence, and it was not.

We're told the officer backstage heard what happened and then beelined it for Chris' dressing room, where he waited outside for a while and then asked Chris if he wanted to press charges. We're told Chris was clear he did not, and our LAPD sources dispute what Oscar producer Will Packer claimed ... that Chris was asked if he wanted Will removed.

So there was one other way Will could have been arrested. Someone in the crowd -- and there were several thousand -- could have gone up to a cop and asked to make a citizen's arrest. Under California law, "a private person may arrest another for a public offense committed or attempted in his presence." No one in the crowd asked to do that.

Now we've also learned there was a flood of angry folks -- people who either called LAPD or actually went to one of the divisions -- and asked to arrest Will for battery. Thing is ... they didn't witness the slap in person -- watching it on TV doesn't count -- so LAPD could do nothing.

A French tennis player did his best Will Smith impression after a match on Monday -- as in, he slapped the hell out of his opponent's face in a fit of rage.

Just seconds after 15-year-old Michael Kouame lost a tilt to 16-year-old Raphael Nii Ankrah at an ITF juniors tournament in Ghana ... he reached back and smacked his opponent in the jaw.

Video shows Ankrah had no idea the attack was coming -- in fact, the footage reveals that just moments before the slap, he had actually shaken hands with Kouame.

No word on why Kouame launched the open hand, but further video from the scene shows it ignited a near brawl on the court afterward.

Kouame was the tournament's No. 1 seed heading into the match -- which happened in the first round of the event.

More of Chris Rock's family members are coming to his defense -- including his other little brother who's ripping into Will Smith for the slap ... and calling for the Academy to take back his Oscar.

CR's brother, Kenny, says it hurt to watch the slap during the Oscars broadcast because he felt helpless seeing Chris get attacked. He says the nonstop replays of the violent incident don't help either.

As Kenny told the L.A. Times ... "It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it." He added, "My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show."

Here's what Kenny thinks should happen to Will ... he should NOT be invited back to any other Academy Awards ceremonies, and he oughta have his Best Actor Oscar taken back.

Kenny also backs up what TMZ first reported -- Chris didn't know about Jada's alopecia.

As for whether Kenny accepts Will's apology, he said this ... "I might have looked at it differently had he initially apologized when he got on the stage and cried and accepted the award, but he didn’t, so, right there that tells me that it is something else."

Translation: hell no, he doesn't accept it. Kenny also says Will still hasn't reached out to either Chris or anyone else in the Rock family.

One last thing from Kenny ... he says Will shoulda gotten dragged outta there one way or another after the onstage hit. Kenny says, "He should have been escorted out of there,” he said. “I hold them accountable for that. He could have went up there and did anything you wanted to my brother. It could have been much worse than what he did."

The Grammys are underway and their MC, Trevor Noah, was on a roll in avoiding just about every controversy in the biz in his opening remarks ... except Will Smith, of course.

The ceremony kicked off Sunday in Vegas with a performance by Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak -- after which, things went indoors at the MGM Grand Garden Arena ... where TN popped up again and start delving into his monologue seamlessly.

He intro'd all the big names who were in the building -- going through a list that included the likes of Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and more -- and said the night was going to be a smooth ride where they'd be singing, dancing and giving out awards.

Then came the dig ... "We're gonna be keeping people's names out of our mouths." That, he said, would help keep the night chill ... and the audience laughed it up as a result.

No name-dropping here, but it's obvious what Trevor was referring to ... that is, Will telling Chris Rock to keep Jada Pinkett's name out of his mouth during last weekend's Oscars ceremony -- this after smacking him across the face on stage, live on television.

It's interesting that Trevor went there -- albeit, lightly and not nearly as brutal as he could've been -- because the dude was seen embracing Will at an afterparty last week ... following a long chat they shared.

Seems like he struck a good balance between addressing it and sparing Will further humiliation. Dude's been getting both criticized and ridiculed in the wake of the hit.

'SNL' showed a different angle of that slap, and it's hilarious!!!

Chris Redd played Will Smith flawlessly, as he jawboned with a fan just before hearing the "G.I. Jane" joke. It's manic, even somewhat believable, but undeniably funny.

We won't give you the blow-by-blow ... watch the video -- it's worth the time.

'SNL' doing the slap was as predictable as the sunrise, and the show delivered several times during the program.

Thing is ... the skit plays off real-life -- Will laughing at Chris Rock's joke, then becoming enraged and later tearfully taking the stage. Manic seems like the proper label.

And, speaking of tearful ... the one thing that got the waterworks going was when "Will" makes a comment about "Red Table Talk."

Smith subsequently addressed the altercation in his Best Actor acceptance speech, in which he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees but not to Rock. Smith followed up with a written apology to Rock on Instagram on Monday. Smith has since resigned from the Academy as he was facing a suspension or expulsion.

Gunna served as the musical guest, performing his hit song "pushin P," while Jerrod Carmichael hosted the episode and had a hilarious monologue where he shared his own jokes on the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars slap.

On "Weekend Update" Michael Che and Colin Jost got in on the action, saying, "Intelligence officials are saying that Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisors about how badly the Russian military is performing in Ukraine, which is kind of like Will Smith's agent telling him, 'You crushed it at the Oscars!'"

Jost wasn't done, saying Will's actions were "disgraceful" ... because it sets "a terrible precedent for having to defend your wife at awards shows."

Che noted that during his acceptance speech after landing the award for Best Actor, the "King Richard" star said, "Love will make you do crazy things."

And, then there's this ... Smith could join others who have been booted by the Academy -- Bill Cosby, Roman Polanski and Harvey Weinstein -- Or as Colin puts it, "Bad Boys For Life."

Will Smith tried cleaning up his Oscars moment, but it may not be enough for some studios who've got projects planned with him ... as his career seems to be getting halted, for now.

THR reports that at least a couple films of his (as an actor) that were supposed to be in the works are, for the time being, getting kicked to the back burner at both Netflix and Sony -- with the former quietly pivoting away from firing up production on "Fast and Loose," and the latter hitting pause on getting things going for "Bad Boys 4," per sources cited by the outlet.

For "Fast and Loose," Will is set to play the head of a criminal organization who suffers memory loss and has to put the pieces of his empire back together. Director David Leitch was originally attached, but he stepped away a week before the Oscars last week ... and Netflix was reportedly scrambling to find a replacement -- that is, until Will hit Chris Rock.

THR says other projects of Will's may also be put on ice, which presumably means other Netflix movies he's been attached to as well -- including "The Council" and "Bright 2."

On the Sony side of things, they've reportedly put production of his next 'Bad Boys' sequel on hold indefinitely too -- this after Will had apparently received 40 pages of the script recently, with the movie chugging along full steam ahead pre-Oscars.

There are other Sony-tied films of his (either as a producer or actor) that might see the same fate -- including a 'Hancock' sequel and a 'Karate Kid' sequel. He's got a production company now ... so beyond just starring in films, he's heavily involved in making them lately.

One film of Will's that's got movie watchers anxiously waiting on is his forthcoming Apple offering "Emancipation" -- which is in the can at this point, and due to be released this year. Apple has yet announce an official release date -- so it's unclear what they're going to do.

The movie has gotten a lot of buzz, and was expected to possibly earn Smith yet another Oscar -- as he plays a runaway slave from a Louisiana plantation, portraying the man who infamously posed for a photo in which he shows off the many scars on his back.

Denzel Washington says he immediately turned to God after the Chris Rock Oscars slap -- which is, in part, why he invoked the wicked one when chatting with Will Smith.

The legendary actor explained what he meant Saturday when he told Smith, "At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you." It was during a leadership summit with author and pastor T.D. Jakes, in which DW had been invited to speak on his faith.

Per reports, the topic of the Oscars was obviously brought up -- with Jakes saying it was like Denzel had waded into WWII ... to which he responded by saying, it was totally necessary.

Denzel is quoted with this ... "There's a saying: When the devil ignores you, then you know you're doing something wrong. The devil goes, 'Oh, no, leave him alone. He's my favorite.'"

He adds, "Conversely, when the devil comes at you, maybe it's because you're trying to do something right. And for whatever reason, the devil got ahold of him that night." Denzel also explains others were quick to step in and attend to Will too -- whom he apparently felt was in need of spiritual counseling -- including Tyler Perry ... who prayed with them both.

Denzel declined to disclose what exactly was said among the trio, but he did say this ... "There but for the grace of God, go any of us. Who are we to condemn? I don't know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer."

Later in the panel interview, Denzel is reported to have talked about the idea of just sitting this one out -- to which he said ... no way, not on my watch.

DW described the moment right afterward, "I couldn't have sat in my seat. No way I could have sat in my seat. That's just not who I am." This was evident right away, because Denzel was photographed getting in between Chris and Will in the immediate aftermath.

As you may have guessed by now, Denzel is very religious ... often referencing his Christian faith -- and it seems it came in handy on Sunday, especially since Will shouted him out during his acceptance speech, when he was in tears kinda apologizing and kinda not.

Bill Maher had a hot take on Chris Rock's hair joke that supposedly triggered Will Smith's slap ... if that's the worst thing she's struggling with, she's a lucky woman.

The "Real Time" host said Friday night, "If you are so lucky in life as to have that be your medical problem, just say, 'thank God.'" He went on to drop some numbers -- 80% of men and 50% of women lose hair as part of the aging process.

He said when he first heard Jada Pinkett Smith had alopecia, he paused and thought maybe Chris Rock really did cross the line ... but then he went to rusty trusty Google and discovered what alopecia was all about, and his opinion radically changed. His conclusion ... no big deal.

Maher then looked at it from another angle, suggesting Chris' joke was actually a compliment, referencing "G.I. Jane" star Demi Moore, whom Bill said never looked hotter with her shaved head.

But, then he went in for the kill ... "And you know, just put on a f***ing wig like everybody else at the Oscars if it bothers you so much."

As we reported, both our Chris Rock and Will Smith sources acknowledge this was simmering beef that goes back to 2016, when Jada went in hard to boycott the Oscars because of a lack of inclusiveness and she and Will wanted Chris to join.

We're told Chris' response was that he was a Black man hosting the Oscars so that said more than a boycott. He took a couple of cracks at both Will and Jada during the show, and they were never the same. Multiple sources say the hair joke was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Chris Rock's brother, Tony Rock, went in hard over the slap, and not just on Will Smith, saying, "You gonna hit my motherf***ing brother because your bitch gave you a side-eye?"

The Shade Room got video of Tony on stage during his set.

Tony has already made his outrage toward Will clear, but he tripled down at a comedy gig. After taking the stage, he said, "If you think you gonna to walk up on this stage, this ain't the motherf***king Oscars! And if you walk your ass up here, you ain't nominated for s*** but these mother****ing hands! Oh, we going Pac the rest of the year, n****. Every time you see me do a show, Pac!" Referencing late rapper Tupac, who, by the way ... used to date Jada Pinkett Smith.

Chris' baby bro has already said, Will's Insta apology to Chris doesn't cut it. As we reported, Will and Chris have not spoken since the slap and Chris has not publicly or privately accepted Smith's mea culpa.

Chris Rock had another sold-out performance Friday night in Boston, and he left without a trace of emotion, and probably for good reason.

Chris looked stoic as he booked it out of the Wilbur Theater. No way to read his reaction to Will Smith resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As we've been reporting, Chris has largely avoided the post-slap drama, and based on what we know from our Chris sources it's highly likely he didn't even know Will resigned.

Chris is sticking to his routine ... not letting the slap hijack his comedy act. Fans undeniably wanted to hear from him, but Chris says he'll probably address it later and warned it will be serious and funny.

TMZ broke the story ... multiple sources connected to Chris told us Oscar producer, Will Packer, was lying when he said Chris told him he did not want Will Smith booted from the Oscars. Packer made it seem that's what convinced the Academy to allow Will to stay. Our sources say the ONLY thing Chris said was he did not want Will arrested and he just wanted to leave.

Will Smith stole the Oscars spotlight away from "CODA," the Best Picture winner and, in the process, he tarnished a major milestone in the deaf community ... so says the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness.

Dr. Patricia Hughes tells TMZ ... deaf people have been overlooked for so long, and their moment on a huge platform like the Academy Awards came and passed too quickly. Instead of people talking about the historic victory for "CODA," the majority of buzz was about Will slapping Chris Rock.

She thinks we should be focusing on the impactful moment for the hearing-impaired ... especially the heartfelt acceptance speech that gave the filmmakers a unique opportunity to appreciate the hearing-impaired.

Dr. Hughes says both of her children serve as her CODA -- child of deaf adult -- and the movie shows their community as a culture, something that doesn't happen often. The film also serves an educational purpose, teaching how kids can help deaf adults, and how deaf and non-deaf people can coexist.

Dr. Hughes would like to see more discussion in society about those issues moving forward -- something that could have been sparked by the film's big moment at the Oscars ... if not for Will.

Will Smith has resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after slapping Chris Rock ... TMZ has confirmed.

Will wrote the following to the Academy's disciplinary committee ... "I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable."

He goes on ... "The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home. I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken."

And, there's more ... “I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film. So, I am resigning from membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will accept any further consequences the board deems appropriate."

He concludes by saying ... “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

The Academy is expected to hand down its disciplinary decision in a few weeks.

Chris Rock might have a lot going on right now, but that hasn't stopped him from takin' a trip to the movies to watch a flick.

Chris showed up by himself Thursday at the AMC Boston Common in MA -- the day after his first standup show since the Oscars. Chris got some popcorn, a hotdog and a water bottle to fortify him as he watched a film ... sorry, we don't know which one, though we're guessing it wasn't "King Richard."

The other dude in the pic -- Gerard Cole -- asked Chris for the photo, and Chris happily obliged.

As we reported, Thursday night was Chris' 2nd show at the Wilbur Theater in Boston ... fans were more rowdy than usual, with several getting kicked out. Some even shouted "F*** Will Smith," which Chris shut down right away.

The producer of the Oscars is now saying it was Chris Rock who did not want Will Smith removed from the Dolby Theater after the slap, but according to a well-placed source with direct knowledge ... that's just not true.

Will Packer appeared on "Good Morning America" Friday and gave his blow-by-blow of the evening. He said after the slap he talked to Chris and said the LAPD was present and wanted to know if Chris wanted Will arrested, but Chris made it clear he did not. No one is disputing that happened.

Here's what IS in dispute ... Packer said it was Chris who said he did not want Will removed from the Dolby theater. Sources connected to Chris tell TMZ ... that was NEVER said. As one source put it, "Chris told Packer 'I'm not pressing charges. All I want to do is leave.' He was never asked if he wanted Will removed. This is the Academy covering itself." An Academy source tells TMZ, "Will Packer is not speaking on behalf of the Academy."

Packer's statement more than intimates it was Chris' decision to keep Will in the theater, and our sources simply call that a lie.

The LAPD was standing by and ready to arrest Will Smith for putting hands on Chris Rock at The Oscars -- but Chris waved them off, saying he was fine -- according to the show's producer.

In a preview clip for his interview with 'GMA,' Oscars' honcho Will Packer says LAPD officers were ready to arrest Will if Chris so wanted, detailing the conversation that happened backstage directly following the slap.

In the clip, Packer tells T.J. Holmes cops were prepared to go and get Will from the crowd and make an arrest for battery ... letting Chris know he could press criminal charges against Will.

At one point, Packer claims Chris was being dismissive of what police were telling him ... and he says he told the comedian to let cops finish their spiel before making a decision.

In the end, Chris decided against pressing charges, and Will was allowed to remain front and center at The Oscars, where he won the award for best actor and gave a tearful speech.

Will's since apologized for the slap and foul language ... but at his show Wednesday night, Chris revealed he's still processing what went down and will talk about it later on his comedy tour.

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars caused a ton of outrage for folks watching at home ... they flooded the FCC with complaints, calling for fines and even invoking BLM.

There were 66 pissed off viewers who felt compelled to fire off some emails to the feds about what they saw ... with most up in arms about the violent attack and voicing concern about what their kids saw and heard on TV.

TMZ obtained the complaints made to the Federal Communications Commission -- a U.S. government agency which regulates television -- regarding The Oscars broadcast ... and all 66 were focused on Will slapping Chris and shouting obscenities after the comedian made a wisecrack about Jada Pinkett Smith.

"The level of violence from one black man inflicted onto another over something he didn't like hearing is intolerable!! Are you tolerating this??? Thought black lives mattered?? Obviously not!! Is that your message???? Smith should be fined & suspended!!!!" ... a viewer from Michigan wrote.

Lots of parents complained about their kids witnessing an assault on live TV, claiming it led to some very uncomfortable conversations with their children, including one viewer in Oklahoma who says their kids asked them "if Black men are always violent?"

The slap even brought up memories of the Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl ... with a viewer from Texas writing, "Obviously, the Oscar's crossed a line last night. I should not have to worry about what my CHILDREN are going to hear during the Oscar's presentation. Not delaying the broadcast for whatever reason was a FAILURE on your part. There needs to be fines and people need to be fired over this. Have we not learned anything in the decades since the Super Bowl debacle? Overall, you have a simple job. Do it!"