Will Smith wasn’t about to let his altercation with Chris Rock ruin his big night.
Following the 2022 Oscars on March 27, the 53-year-old actor — who slapped the comedian during the ceremony over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith–headed over to the Vanity Fair after-party to celebrate his Best Actor win.
Smith posed with his family on the red carpet and headed inside, where he was “acting as if nothing happened,” a source exclusively told E! News.
“He was laughing and honestly looked like he was having the time of his life,” the source shared on March 28. “He was obviously emotional in his speech but not at the party. He was in a very celebratory mood.”
As for Pinkett Smith, she was also in a “great mood” and hanging out with other guests, the source said. “She seemed happy and unaffected.”
Smith — who nabbed the Best Actor award earlier that night for his powerful performance in King Richard — carried his Oscars statue around and was “proudly” holding on to it while dancing at the party, according to the insider.
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“His whole vibe was celebratory,” the source continued. “At one point everyone was circled around him watching him as he rapped and sang ‘Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It’ and dancing with his Oscar.”
Another eyewitness said “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum was also joined by his kids, Trey Smith, 29, (whose mom is Sheree Zampino),Jaden Smith, 23, and Willow Smith, 21, and “seemed pretty nonchalant” about the drama that went down earlier in the evening.
“He wasn’t focusing on that,” the eyewitness exclusively told E! News. “He was celebrating his wins. He was in a good mood dancing and having fun. He was chatting with his kids and laughing.”
Just hours before, Smith joined Rock on the Oscars stage after the presenter cracked a G.I. Jane joke, poking fun at Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. After slapping Rock, 57, across the face mid-monologue, Smith returned to his seat and screamed twice at him, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”
While Smith appeared to shrug off the drama last night, the Academy said they will be investigating the incident.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the Academy shared in a statement obtained by E! News. “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.”
Smith also spoke out on March 28 to apologize to Rock directly. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” he wrote. “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.”
E! News has reached out to reps for Smith and Pinkett Smith for comment but hasn’t heard back.
