Hypocritical Hollywood elite party with Will Smith

Academy members hold ’emergency talks over Zoom’ over whether to STRIP Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after his violent Chris Rock attack – as hypocritical Hollywood stars clamour to congratulate him

Will Smith supported by his wife and children at the Vanity Fair bash where he rapped and danced with friends
Star, 53, won his first Academy Award ever after a stunning on-stage meltdown where he hit the host
Smith slapped Oscars presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head
Pinkett Smith has openly suffered from hair loss condition alopecia, and appeared upset by the live TV gag
Her actor husband initially appeared to laugh but then ran on to stage seconds later and slapped Mr Rock
Oscars’ stunned host was seen rubbing his face and said: ‘Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me’
The audience and viewers initially believed it was all part of the joke until the actor’s meltdown continued
He returned to his seat and began yelling repeatedly at Rock: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’
40 minutes later he was handed Best Actor gong and sobbed as he apologised to Academy but not to Rock
He revealed Denzel Washington said after slap: ‘At your highest moment – that’s when the devil comes for you’
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star even tried to defend his assault as he said: ‘Love makes you do crazy things’

The Academy has held emergency talks over Zoom about stripping Will Smith of his Best Actor gong for beating Chris Rock across the face, it was revealed today, as Hollywood’s hypocritical Woke elite still scrambled to party with him through the night.

Oscar bosses are said to be split over whether to take the actor’s trophy and ban him because the assault breaks a new code of conduct drawn up by The Academy in the wake of #MeToo movement and the appalling crimes of Harvey Weinstein.

Members, including Smith himself, have agreed to behave in a way that never violates ‘the integrity of the Academy by their actions’ or face suspension or expulsion. Critics are clear that the actor’s live TV attack meets that definition – but his supporters insist he ‘should be able to hold on to it’.

A source told The Sun: ‘Once the ceremony was over the called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take.

‘There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong. They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point. Others however believe he should be allowed to hold on to it’.

Chris Rock, who has not been seen since the attack, has been offered a ‘package of after care’ including a counsellor if he needs one, the insider said. The comedian has told the Los Angeles Police Department that he does not want to press charges.

But LA’s rich and famous still welcomed Smith like a hero as they partied with him last night. The star, 53, was hugged, high-fived and hallowed by guests at the Vanity Fair party in Beverley Hills even after his assault on the comedian just minutes before being handed his now-tainted Best Actor award.

But despite being accused of shaming his profession and wrecking a historic moment when he became only the fifth black man in almost a century to win an Oscar for male lead, he was mobbed by A-listers desperate to celebrate his tarnished Academy Award.

Smith posed for selfies with the usually woke LA crowd who cheered him as he rapped along to his biggest hits including Summertime and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills this morning.

But the Hollywood glitterati, many of whom will have been at the ceremony last night, have publicly criticised people like JK Rowling, who is a staunch defender of women’s rights including how they should take primacy over those of transgender people, especially when it comes to safe spaces.

Critics have also pointed out The Academy banned Kevin Hart as host of the 2019 Academy Awards over historic unacceptable tweets – but has not punished Will Smith for punching someone. Chrissy Teigen was also cancelled because of social media posts.

Bernardine Evaristo, the Man Booker prize-winning writer, tweeted: ‘What a thing to wake up to. Only the fifth black man in nearly 100 years to win an Oscar for male lead, and the first in 16 years, resorts to violence instead of utilising the power of words to slay Chris Rock. Then he claims God and love made him do it.’

Will Smith is hugged as he arrives at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party just after he slapped Chris Rock for ribbing his wife. Oscar bosses have already had talks about taking away his first Oscar for best actor

Ms Pinkett-Smith supported her husband after he defended her by striding on to stage to smack Rock

Will Smith posed for a number of selfies, including with DJ D-Nice (pictured), before he performed his biggest hits to the crowd

Comedian Trevor Noah embraces Smith and points to his Best Actor gong, which could be under threat after Smith’s live TV slap

Academy Award winning Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot also posed with Smith last night. He got his gong for The Queen of Basketball, winner of the 2022 Academy Award for best short documentary

One man even high fived the actor, who responded with a fitting fist bump on a night he punched someone

Will Smith parties at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party holding his gong after attacking the host Chris Rock in the most controversial moment in the history of the Academy Awards

The slapping incident occurred after Rock cracked jokes about the ‘GI Jane’ haircut of Pinkett Smith, referring to her shaved head. The shocking scene, broadcast live around the world, stunned both the live audience and TV viewers

At the Vanity Fair party Will Smith was supported by Jada and their children Willow, Jaden and Trey after tainting his first Oscar with the live TV punch – 20 years after his first nomination – and told the crowd: ‘It’s been a beautiful night – it’s all love’.

Just hours earlier he marched on to stage and cracked Chris Rock around the face before returning to his seat to repeatedly scream: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. 40 minutes later he won Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams. The incident was so outrageous the audience and millions of viewers at home initially thought it was a prank.

The comedian, who was presenting the award for best documentary, had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. He said: ‘Jada, GI Jane 2, I can’t wait to see it’. Ms Smith has been grappling with hair loss since revealing her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.

‘It’s basically assault’, an Oscars insider told the New York Post about Smith’s attack, adding: ‘Everyone was just so shocked in the room, it was so uncomfortable. I think Will would not want to give his Oscar back, but who knows what will happen now.’

Comedian and director Judd Apatow called the display ‘pure out of control rage and violence’, claiming that Smith ‘could have killed’ Rock. ‘Seems like Will Smith’s plan to get comedian and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism,’ he wrote.

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted: ‘Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t’. Star Wars actor Mark Hamill dubbed it the ‘ugliest Oscar moment ever’. He added: ‘Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault… not so much.’

Will Smith today declared ‘you can’t invite people from Philly nowhere’ as he doubled down on his extraordinary decision to storm on to stage and strike Chris Rock at the Oscars for cracking a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head.

The star, 53, tried to brush off the biggest scandal in the Academy Awards’ 94-year history by partying hard with his family at the Vanity Fair post-ceremony bash while clutching his gold Best Actor gong for his role in ‘King Richard’.

And shortly after he we accused of creating the ‘ugliest Oscar moment ever’ and ‘losing his mind’ by storming on stage to smack Chris Rock, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere.’ It was shared with a picture of him and his wife before the ceremony and was referring to his own birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his wife’s of Baltimore, Maryland.

Jada was also seen dancing and laughing on the side as her husband performed in front of guests at the bash that included Serena and Venus Williams, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Costner, Chris Pine, Olivia Colman and Natalie Portman. Chris Rock was expected to attend but changed his plans after the attack, reportedly because Smith had an entourage of at least 20 people going with him.

Collecting his Oscar, tears poured down his face as he apologised to The Academy and the audience – but not to Chris Rock, who was presenting the award for Best Documentary. Smith was also seen being comforted and calmed by friends Bradley Cooper and Denzel Washington during an ad break after he marred the greatest moment of his career.

Will’s son Jaden Smith, 23, tweeted: ‘And That’s How We Do It’ after his father’s on-stage altercation. There was also support from Serena Williams and rapper 50 Cent shared a photo of the moment on Instagram and wrote: ‘B!tch don’t you ever play with me. LOL.’

As violence broke out at the 94th Oscars, it emerged:

Will Smith faces calls to be stripped of his Best Actor award after bringing violence to the ceremony; The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind;
Chris Rock has declined to press charges against Smith for the slap. The Los Angeles Police Department said: ‘The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report’;
Oscars directors scrambled to turn off the sound because broadcast was delayed in the US. But Smith’s attack and meltdown was seen in full by many international viewers;
Smith was calmed down by Bradley Cooper after he assaulted Rock. Denzel Washington was also seen speaking to him. The actor later revealed Washington, who appeared tearful himself, had told him: ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you’;
It marred a night where Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy and CODA made history as the first ever streaming film to earn Best Picture;

Shortly after the slap, Will added a comment to his own Instagram post, quipping: ‘You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere’

Smith rapped his greatest hits for fans – supported by Jada pointing at him on the right of the picture

Smith rapped to Gettin Jiggy With It with stars and fans at the glitzy Beverly Hills event

Smith sobs as he apologised for the violence – but did not say sorry to Chris Rock

Will Smith had initially laughed at the Rock gag about Jada’s hair being short line Demi Moore’s in GI Jane. His wife looked very unhappy and rolled her eyes

After smacking Rock, a now visibly fuming Smith returned to his seat and began repeatedly yelling: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. Lupita Nyong’o’ was among those baffled by what happened with many initially believing that an act so outrageous must be part of the show. It wasn’t

Show of unity: Will and Jada held hands throughout the ceremony after the shock slap. It appears that Chris Rock had tried to act as peacemaker after the incident (pictured). Denzel Washington was acting as peacemaker

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith showed a united front after the row with Rock overshadowed his Oscar win

Will and Jada tried to focus on the biggest win of his career as the night drew on – not the shocking slap

The actor, 53, rapped along to his biggest hits including Summertime and Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It at the Wallis Annenberg Center

Smith brushed off a tumultuous night by partying to celebrate the greatest achievement of his career: Best Actor at the Oscars

Popular: Will was pictured in the middle of the crowd, dancing and cheering with fellow stars

Man of the moment: The actor was greeted by a crowd of cheering stars while wife Jada was by his side after he slapped Rock for making a joke about Jada’s hair loss

The actor put on a brave face for photographers as his big moment was undermined by his violent outburst

ada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party

Trevor Noah and Will Smith celebrate at Vanity Fair with Jada Pinkett Smith

Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian and Serena Williams share a laugh at the Vanity Fair bash after the Oscars where Will Smith won best actor for playing Serena’s father Richard

Will has enjoyed support from his daughter Willow, son Jaden and wife Jada after his assault on Rock

Smith’s attack is widely viewed as the darkest moment in Oscars history.

Chris Rock declines to file a police report against Will Smith after being slapped in the face at Oscars

Comedian Chris Rock will not take police against being slapped in the face by Will Smith in the most jaw-dropping moment in the 94-year history of the Oscars on Sunday.

Los Angeles Police Department released a statement about the incident after the show confirming Rock, 57, would have to make a complaint for an investigation to take place.

‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the LAPD said in a press release after the show ended Sunday.

‘The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.’

Smith, 53, could still face a misdemeanor charge for battery should Rock have a change of heart.

In a rambling acceptance speech a sobbing Smith admitted that ‘love makes you do crazy things’ – but tellingly failed to apologise to Rock for his assault, only saying sorry to Academy and his fellow nominees. Rock has told LAPD he will not press charges.

Around 40 minutes earlier the comedian had made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. He said: ‘Jada, GI Jane 2, I can’t wait to see it’. Ms Smith has been grappling with hair loss since revealing her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.

The 50-year-old actress rolled her eyes and her husband, considered a shoo-in for the Best Actor gong, appeared to be laughing along with the gag. A giggling Chris Rock then said ‘uh oh’ seconds later as Will Smith suddenly stormed on to the stage and slapped him around the face, with an audible smack. Rock then began rubbing his cheek and said: ‘Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’

Most of the assembled audience of the world’s biggest stars assembled last night at The Dolby Theatre in LA – and millions of people watching around the world – initially believed it was a prank, continuing to laugh at what had happened.

But Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became crystal clear the attack was genuine. Chris Rock replied to him saying: ‘I’m going to, okay?’ before laughing uncomfortably saying: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television’. Smith’s sweary rant was muted by directors because the show’s live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US.

But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the past few hours.

Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologised for the assault. LAPD has since said that Mr Rock has declined to press assault charges – but they will be willing to investigate if he decides to pursue.

In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: ‘Love makes you do crazy things’, as he clutched his Best Actor Oscar statuette.

After Smith strode out on stage and appeared to smack Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me’

Moments later US actor Smith was seen swinging at the host of the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony in LA

Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’

Smith initially laughed at the gag Rock made about Pinkett Smith’s (right) short haircut. But Ms Pinkett Smith, who has struggled with hair loss after revealing her diagnosis with alopecia in 2018, rolled her eyes at Rock’s mockery

Will Smith used his acceptance speech for his first Academy Award to defend storming onto the Oscars stage and slapping presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s haircut. Smith holds his first Academy Award for Best Actor aloft during his speech

Accepting the award, Smith issued a tearful apology for his emotional outburst, saying: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment’

US actor Denzel Washington and actor-producer Tyler Perry comfort Will Smith after the shocking televised slap. Smith later shared what Washington told him: ‘At your highest moment, be careful because that´s when the devil comes for you.’

Bradley Cooper, consoles Will Smith appear in the audience at the Oscars on Sunday after Smith struck Rock

Public support: Rapper Jaden Smith apparently applauded his fathe after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face during the Academy Awards

Keeping quiet: Unlike her brother, Willow Smith, 21, has not publicly commented on her father’s outburst

‘The Devil comes for you at your highest moment’: What Denzel Washington told Will Smith as he and Bradley Cooper tried to calm him down during Oscars commercial break

Denzel Washington can be seen smiling as he walks an emotionally charged Will Smith back to his seat in the front row in the Dolby Theatre

Bradley Cooper, left, and Will Smith appear hug one another at the Oscars on Sunday after Smith had slapped Rock

Two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington could be seen consoling Will Smith after he smacked presenter Chris Rock in the face in a shocking moment during the Oscars live broadcast on Sunday night.

Rock made a joke about the hairstyle of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith that referenced the movie ‘G.I. Jane’ in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.

Smith suffers from alopecia and the joke did not appear to sit well with her.

Smith, who fifteen minutes later won best actor for King Richard, walked on stage and slapped Rock in what at first appeared to be a scripted joke, but the mood turned to shock moments later when Smith, back in his front row seat, shouted ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

During his acceptance speech, Smith revealed what Washington had told him during the commercial break: ‘ Be careful at your highest moment… that’s when the devil comes for you.’

Later during a commercial break, Smith was also seen being further consoled by Tyler Perry and Bradley Cooper who placed his hands on Smith’s shoulders as he attempted to comfort him.

Just minutes after striking Rock with an open hand live on stage, Smith won his first Academy Award for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the determined father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

In what should have been the greatest moment of his career, Smith accepted the award and said: ‘You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that`s OK.

‘Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.’

It’s like I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.

He went on: I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things’. He added: ‘I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you’.

Smith’s relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season. At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard. The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn’t include the star who stayed in LA, groaned as she said his ‘best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends’ – a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s open relationship.

It came after he recently admitted his wife had ‘never believed in a conventional marriage’ and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock’s joke about her.

Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito.

Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate.

‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the statement said. ‘The incident involved one individual slapping another.’

It was not immediately clear whether the Academy would penalize Smith in any way for his outburst.

Smith’s actions attracted criticism from members of the film industry.

Rob Reiner tweeted: ‘Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t’.

The Last Samurai producer Marshall Herskovitz urged the Academy to do more than simply issue a statement in response to the incident.

He said on Twitter: ‘I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith.

‘He disgraced our entire community tonight.’

Hollywood star Mia Farrow tweeted: ‘It was just a joke. Jokes are what Chris Rock does.

‘Always has been edgy. This was a mild joke for him. And I love GI Jane.’

Referring to words from Smith’s acceptance speech, English actor Cary Elwes said: ‘The ‘vessels of love’ I have known or admired never acted violently against another human being…’

One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush commented that ‘violence isn’t OK’.

She added: ‘Assault is never the answer. Also? This is the 2nd time that Chris has made fun of Jada on the £Oscar stage, & tonight he went after her alopecia.

‘Punching down at someone’s auto-immune disease is wrong. Doing so on purpose is cruel. They both need a breather.’

Comedian Kathy Griffin suggested Smith’s actions set a bad precedent for her profession.

She said on Twitter: ‘Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian.

‘Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.’

US actor Will Smith (R) sits alongside US actress Jada Pinkett Smith with the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for ‘King Richard’ during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood

OSCARS 2022: WINNERS

BEST PICTURE

Belfast (Focus Features)

Coda (Apple) – WINNER

Don’t Look Up (Netflix)

Drive My Car (Janus Films/Sideshow)

Dune (Warner Bros)

King Richard (Warner Bros)

Licorice Pizza (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)

The Power Of The Dog (Netflix)

West Side Story (20th Century Studios)

History: Coda became the first ever streaming film to win Best Picture as it upset The Power Of The Dog

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter

Ariana DeBose – West Side Story – WINNER

Judi Dench – Belfast

Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog

Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Ciaran Hinds – Belfast

Troy Kotsur – Coda – WINNER

Jesse Plemons – The Power Of The Dog

J.K Simmons – Being The Ricardos

Kodi Smitt-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog

Amazing: Troy Kotsur became the first male actor to win an Oscar for Coda

COSTUME DESIGN

Cruella (Jenny Beavan) – WINNER

Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini)

Dune (Jacqueline West)

Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)

West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND

Belfast

Dune – WINNER

No Time To Die

The Power Of The Dog

West Side Story

ORIGINAL SCORE

Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)

Dune (Hans Zimmer) – WINNER

Encanto (Germaine Franco)

Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)

The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA (Sian Heder) – WINNER

Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe)

Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve)

The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal)

The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)

Shining moment: Sian Heder earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film as it went three for three on the night

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Belfast (Kenneth Branagh) – WINNER

Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay & David Sirota)

Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson)

King Richard (Zach Baylin)

The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Affairs Of The Heart

Bestia

Box Ballet

Robin Robin

The Windshield Wiper – WINNER

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Ala Kachuu — Take and Run

The Dress

The Long Goodbye – WINNER

On My Mind

Please Hold

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Drive My Car – WINNER

Flee

The Hand of God

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

The Worst Person in the World

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Dune (Zsuzsanna Sipos & Patrice Vermette) – WINNER

Nightmare Alley (Tamara Deverell & Shane Vieau)

The Power of the Dog (Grant Major & Amber Richards)

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Stefan Dechant & Nancy Haigh)

West Side Story (Rena DeAngelo & Adam Stockhausen)

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!

Will Smith – King Richard – WINNER

Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye – WINNER

Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter

Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart – Spencer

All eyes on her: Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy for her titular role in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

DIRECTING

Kenneth Branagh – Belfast

Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza

Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog – WINNER

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car

Steven Spielberg – West Side Story

FILM EDITING

Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)

Dune (Joe Walker) – WINNER

King Richard (Pamela Martin)

The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)

Tick, Tick… Boom! (Myron Kerstein & Andrew Weisblum)

MAKEUP AND HAIR STYLING

Coming 2 America

Cruella

Dune

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye – WINNER

House Of Gucci

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Encanto – WINNER

Flee

Luca

The Mitchells VS The Machine

Raya And The Lost Dragon

ORIGINAL SONG

Be Alive — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Darius Scott (King Richard)

Dos Oruguitas — Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)

Down to Joy — Van Morrison (Belfast)

No Time to Die — Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die) – WINNER

Somehow You Do— Diane Warren (Four Good Days)

Not a bad guy: Billie Eilish and brother FINNEAS earned Best Original Song for No Time To Die from the James Bond film of the same name

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

Audible

Lead Me Home

The Queen of Basketball – WINNER

Three Songs for Benazir

When We Were Bullies

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Ascension

Attica

Flee

Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) – WINNER

Writing with Fire

VISUAL EFFECTS

Dune – WINNER

Free Guy

No Time To Die

Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Epic: Dune swept the technical awards as Greig Fraser is shown accepting the Best Cinematography gong

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dune (Greig Fraser) – WINNER

Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten)

The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)

The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)

West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)

Could Will Smith be stripped of his Oscar? Academy faces pressure to respond after disgraced star broke Code of Conduct drawn up in wake of MeToo Movement

The Academy tweeted its disapproval of ‘violence of any form’ late on Sunday night

There are calls for the Academy to strip Will Smith of his Best Actor Oscar after he walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock who was presenting an award on stage, after making a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair.

The Academy, in its code of conduct, is known to take a very a dim view of violence of any kind.

After the award ceremony was over it tweeted: ‘The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.’

The Academy reestablished its Code of Conduct in 2017 during the Me Too Movement.

‘Academy membership is a privilege offered to only a select few within the global community of filmmakers,’ AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson wrote to members following various scandals in the industry.

On Sunday night, in the Dolby Theatre, there was complete bewilderment in the moments after the assault with took place with those present initially wondering if the punch was part of a stunt.

It took a few moments for the normally unflappable Rock to process but the colorful language from Smith quickly confirmed it wasn’t any kind of joke at all.

The punch threw the entire Oscars broadcast into chaos as producers were frantically forced into deciding how to deal with the on-air assault, with Smith still yet to receive his Best Actor statuette.

But Will Smith’s son Jaden and Tennis star Serena Williams are among the stars who expressed both shock and support after the Hollywood actor hit Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

After being named best actor for his performance as the father of Williams and her sister Venus in King Richard, Smith used his acceptance speech to apologise to the Academy and ‘all my fellow nominees’ – but not Rock.

‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,’ he added.

Shortly after the incident, Serena Williams shared a video on her Instagram story showing her looking shocked.

In a second clip, the sportswoman admitted she ‘had to put her drink down’.

Jaden Smith, 23, tweeted: ‘And That’s How We Do It’ after his father’s on-stage altercation.

He later told his followers that his father’s acceptance speech had made him cry.

Rapper 50 Cent shared a photo of the moment on Instagram and wrote: ‘B!tch don’t you ever play with me. LOL.’

American late-night talk show host Conan O’Brien was among those making light of the situation, writing on Twitter: ‘Just saw the Will Smith slap.

‘Anyone have a late night show I can borrow just for tomorrow?’

The slapping incident occurred after Rock cracked jokes about the ‘GI Jane’ haircut — referring to the Demi Moor character who famously had a shaved head — of Pinkett Smith.

The shocking scene, broadcast live around the world, stunned both the live audience at the Dolby Theatre and TV viewers.

After Smith strode out on stage and slapped Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’

Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

The incident that sparked it all, was when Rock looked at Jada, who has a shaved head, and said: ‘Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2’, prompting the actress to roll her eyes. Pinkett Smith has been grappling with hair loss since revealing her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.

After being slapped, Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.

‘That was the greatest night in the history of television,’ Rock said, before awkwardly returning to presenting best documentary, which went to Questlove’s ‘Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Was Not Televised).’

Vanity Fair executive editor Ramin Setoodeh, who was tweeting live from the ceremony, said that someone who works for the Oscars told him that Rock was not interrupted by Smith at rehearsals yesterday.

‘It was not supposed to happen. It was real,’ he wrote.

After the slap seen round the world, Smith was seen being comforted and consoled by Denzel Washington and actor-producer Tyler Perry.

Bradley Cooper also pulled Smith aside and was seen in close conversation with him, before hugging him.

‘Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,’ Smith said in his acceptance remarks. ‘In this time in my life, in this moment I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do.’

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father’ said Smith. ‘But love will make you do crazy things.’

Will Smith accepts the Actor in a Leading Role award for King Richard from Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre

Will Smith chats with US actresses Demi Singleton, and Saniyya Sidney onstage during the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre

Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifa and Will Smith 94th Annual Academy Awards Show in Los Angeles

Jada Pinkett Smith attends the 94th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday in Hollywood

Will Smith is seen after the show at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Other ideas: She added that she found a treatment to slow the hair loss, but added she was open to, ‘other ideas

Journey: She also spoke about her journey with alopecia on a September 2021 episode of Red Table Talk with Tiffany Haddish and Yvonne Orji, telling the the decision to shave her head came from, ‘that kind of expression and release”

Shock horror: Nicole Kidman has inadvertently become a meme after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday

Setoodeh, watching from inside the theater, said that Smith’s publicist approached him and spoke to him during a commercial break.

Smith, who plays Venus and Serena Williams’ father in ‘King Richard,’ later in the show won best actor, his first Oscar.

It meant Smith again took the stage shortly after what seemed likely to be one of the most infamous moments in Academy Awards history.

Smith’s acceptance speech vacillated between defense and apology.

‘Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,’ Smith said in his first remarks. ‘In this time in my life, in this moment I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do.’

He continued: ‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.’

Smith shared what Washington told him: ‘At your highest moment, be careful because that’s when the devil comes for you.’

Ultimately, Smith apologized to the academy and to his fellow nominees, but not to Rock.

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father’ said Smith. ‘But love will make you do crazy things.’

It’s unclear if Rock was aware of Pinkett Smith’s history with alopecia before making the joke at the Dolby Theater on Sunday evening.

Pinkett Smith first opened up about dealing with alopecia during a 2018 episode of her Facebook Watch show Red Table Talk.

‘It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, ‘Oh my god, am I going bald?” she shared on the program.

She added that she found a treatment to slow the hair loss, but added she was open to, ‘other ideas.’

‘I’m getting my little steroid injections, and they seem to be helping, but not curing, but they seem to be helping, but I’m open to other ideas,’ she said.

‘I just want to say a thank you to everyone for all the outreach, from all the doctors and all the holistic practitioners, who have been reaching out to me for this head of mine, I appreciate it so much,’ she continued.

‘And I’m taking into a lot of consideration all the recommendations that are coming my way,’ she said.

Pinkett Smith decided to shave her head in July 2021, sharing an Instagram photo with her and daughter Willow, who inspired the cut with her own shorter hair.

‘Willow made me do it because it was time to let go BUT … my 50’s are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed,’ she said on her Instagram post.

Following the slap, Nicole Kidman inadvertently became a meme for her dramatic reaction to the incident.

A photo of the 54-year-old actress looking shocked at the awards show soon went viral on Twitter, with fans commenting her reaction was universal.

‘Nicole Kidman should win the Oscar for Best Reaction To Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock,’ tweeted one viewer.

‘Nicole Kidman reacting to the Chris Rock and Will Smith incident at the #Oscars. A NEW MEME IS BORN,’ added another.

Wrote one fan: ‘Nicole Kidman and her husband having a front row seat watching Will Smith slap the s**t out of Chris Rock.’

Following the astonishing incident, ‘#whatjusthappened’ started trending on Twitter, with one person commenting: ‘Nicole Kidman was all of us at that moment’.

Inside Will Smith and Chris Rock’s long-running feud: Comedian first made joke about actor’s wife Jada at 2016 Oscars and has continued take jabs at the couple

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars left the audience and viewers at home in a state of shock.

But it’s not the first time that the movie star has been antagonized by the comedian.

In fact, a feud has been brewing between the pair over the past five years thanks to repeated jokes made at Will’s expense.

When hosting the Oscars back in 2016, Chris got himself into trouble with the actor when he used Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith as joke material in his opening monologue.

Will Smith and Chris Rock’s beef explained: Comedian first made joke about actor’s wife Jada in 2016 Oscars and jibed him over exes

In an opening bit about diversity, Chris, 57, poked fun at Jada, 50, for boycotting the Oscars when Will failed to receive a nomination for the movie Concussion.

‘Jada got mad, said she’s not coming. Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited,’ Chris said.

‘You get mad. It’s not fair that Will was this good and didn’t get nominated. It’s also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West.’

‘This year at the Oscars, things are going to be a little different. In the ‘in memoriam’ package it’s just going to be black people who were shot by the cops on their way to the movies. Yes, I said it, all right?’

Following the dig, TMZ had approached Will for comment but he remain silent and refused to answer.

But the jibes from Chris didn’t stop there.

Adding further fire to their beef, in 2018 Chris posted a controversial comment about the actor on social media that made light of his previous marriage.

Will had posted a photo wishing his ex-wife Sheree Zampino a very happy birthday, and Chris posted a remark that went viral.

First jab: In his opening monologue about diversity, Chris, 57, poked fun at Jada, 50, for boycotting the Oscars when Will failed to receive a nomination for Concussion (Pic; 2016)

‘Happy Bday, @shereezampino. #BestBabyMamaEver! 🙂 I Love You, Ree-Ree,’ Will wrote alongside a photo of Sheree and their son Trey.

Chris then commented: ‘Wow. You have a very understanding wife.’

Sheree then responded to Chris, replying: ‘Don’t hate.’

The exchange hit headlines at the time, considering Chris had targeted Jada and Will during the Oscars in 2016.

However, on Sunday night, it seemed Will had finally enough after Chris made a ‘G.I. Jane’ joke about Jada’s shaven head haircut.

Jada has been open about her struggle with hair loss due to alopecia

Will, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat after slapping Chris and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

After the incident, Will and Jada reportedly held hands throughout the ceremony.

The couple’s open relationship has seemingly been a trigger for Will, having sparked chaotic conversation at various star-studded events and caused the actor to insist ‘never been infidelity’ in their marriage.

History: Chris previously made fun of Jada when he hosted the Oscars in 2016

Most recently, the couple found themselves the butt of a joke earlier this month after Smith scooped Best Actor for his role in King Richard at the 75th Annual British Academy Film Awards.

BAFTAs host Rebel Wilson, 41, quipped on stage: ‘I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends!’

Speaking afterwards, Smith insisted that there has ‘never been infidelity’, despite Jada admitting in 2020 that she had an ‘entanglement’ with singer August Alsina, 29.

‘There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever,’ Smith said.

The actor – who has son Jaden, 23, and daughter Willow, 21, with Jada – added that he doesn’t care if people speculate about his marriage and instead he encourages the ‘chatter’ in the hope it will spark meaningful debate.

‘I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people,’ he told Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning after the BAFTAs.

‘Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation and to be able to truly explore if some of the things in your heart are loving or poisonous.’

The moment Hollywood found out about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock: Taika Waititi is open mouthed while Sarah Paulson frantically Googles as stars who missed out on ceremony party at Vanity Fair bash

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock after he made a joke about his the actors wife Jada Pinkett Smith before accepting the Best Actor gong is no doubt the most talked about moment of the 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony.

And a live image of the moment the Hollywood stars at the Vanity Fair Oscars’ viewing party found out about the altercation has now surfaced online, thanks to journalist Derek Blasberg, who posted the snap to his Twitter page.

The photo shows the shocked reactions of Jason Bateman and his wife Amanda Anka, Taika Waititi, Sienna Miller and her beau Oli Green, Sarah Paulson and directors Ron Howard and JJ Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath.

Many stars missed out on the awards ceremony and instead watched from a glamorous dinner hosted by the magazine, who later held a star-studded after party for the biggest and brightest in Hollywood.

No way! A live image of the moment the Hollywood stars at the Vanity Fair Oscars’ viewing party found out about the altercation has now surfaced online, thanks to Derek Blasberg, who posted the snap to his Twitter page

Derek posted the incredible snap alongside the caption: ‘Meanwhile, this is everybody at my table at the Vanity Fair Oscar dinner manically googling wtf Will Smith just said to Chris Rock.’

The wide variety of expressions as the news broke included Thor director Taika’s open mouth, Ozark’s Jason’s distant gaze and Sarah’s frantic Googling as she shows Sienna something on her phone.

Chris, a veteran stand-up who has previously made jokes about Will and his wife, upset Smith when he compared his wife’s hair to that of G. I. Jane’s, who has a shaved head. Pinkett Smith suffers from hair loss condition alopecia.

While the Academy audience witnessed the moment in real time, the stars at the Vanity Fair dinner were shocked to hear of the slap moments after it took place.

Speaking at the party P Diddy opened up about his plea for resolution: ‘I was just as shocked as everybody else, but I had just went on how I was feeling, and I thought it was very important to bring love into the room. I think we know both of those guys’ character, and, you know, sometimes shit happens.’

Meanwhile, Minnie Driver said: ‘We all got to witness something extremely personal. I feel terrible that there was so much emotion happening, that was infront of everybody else. It felt deeply personal.

White Men Can’t Jump actress Rosie Perez said: ‘I just hope they work it out. I don’t even want to go to there, you know what I mean. I just hope they work it out.’

Leslie Odom Jr took a more serious note when asked for his thoughts. ‘This business can sometimes feel like walking around with your skin ripped off,’ he said. ‘It’s a very vulnerable thing, and so I think we saw two artists with their hearts open. It’s a vulnerable moment, sometimes it’s messy, but it’s always beautiful when it’s the truth.’

Meanwhile, Michaela Jane Rodriguez, showed her support for the actor, and said: ‘I was cheering for Will. He’s one of the only black men in that position to have won an award like that, it was really well deserved. I’m here for him.

When asked about the moment, she added: ‘Sometimes when you’re speaking about somebodies wife, you can’t really help that. That’s what I’ll say.’

Henry Goulding added: ‘I think they’re both legends, there’s something deeper to be discussed. I hope they both step up man to man and figure it all out. Which I’m sure they will.

While Karomo Brown said: ‘Sometimes as celebrities we look at them as if they aren’t human beings, so we poke and poke. That was a high emotion night for Will Smith regardless, but we need to know at a certain pointe everyone breaks.

‘But I think these are two men that will come together, figure it out and say enough in enough, I’m sorry. You know what I mean? I’ve never been in that situation. I can’t condone violence of any nature, but I can understand protecting those you love.’

Inside Will and Jada’s tumultuous and very unconventional 25-year marriage: Rumors of open relationship, same-sex ‘entanglement’ and denials of ‘infidelity’

ByNatasha Anderson For Dailymail.Com

Will Smith’s tumultuous relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, apparently caused trouble for the actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday.

Smith, 53, hit Oscars presenter Chris Rock in a stunning meltdown on stage at Sunday’s ceremony after the comedian cracked jokes about Jada’s haircut.

After Smith strode out on stage and appeared to smack Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’

Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

Jada, 50, who sported a buzzcut at the Oscars, is battling autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss and balding.

After the incident, Smith and Jada reportedly held hands throughout the ceremony.

The couple’s open relationship has seemingly been a trigger for Smith, having sparked chaotic conversation at various star-studded events and caused the actor to insist there ‘never has been infidelity’ in their marriage.

Will Smith tumultuous relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, apparently caused trouble for the actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday

Smith appeared to hit Oscars presenter Chris Rock in a stunning meltdown on stage at Sunday’s ceremony after the comedian cracked jokes about Jada’s haircut

Smith won the academy award for Best Actor moments after he slapped Rock with an open hand live on stage.

‘Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,’ said a visibly emotional Smith. ‘In this time in my life, in this moment I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do.’

‘It was not supposed to happen. It was real,’ he wrote.

After the slap, Smith was seen being comforted and consoled by Denzel Washington and actor-producer Tyler Perry. Bradley Cooper also pulled Smith aside and was seen in close conversation with him.

Setoodeh, watching from inside the theater, said that Smith’s publicist approached him and spoke to him during a commercial break.

Smith won his first Academy Award in his 33-year acting career on Sunday for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the determined father who raised tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams, in ‘King Richard.’

Smith and Jada are seen nuzzling each other at the Academy Awards on Sunday

Smith and Jada lovingly react after he is declared the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor

The couple is embraced by fellow celebs after Smith won the award for Best Actor

Earlier this month, Smith and Jada found themselves the butt of a joke after he scooped Best Actor for his role in King Richard at the 75th Annual British Academy Film Awards.

BAFTAs host Rebel Wilson, 41, quipped on stage: ‘I thought his best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends!’

Speaking afterwards, Smith insisted that there has ‘never been infidelity’, despite Jada admitting in 2020 that she had an ‘entanglement’ with 29-year-old singer August Alsina.

‘There’s never been infidelity in our marriage. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever,’ Smith said.

‘I have decided that chatter about my life can be of a benefit to people,’ he told Gayle King on CBS Sunday Morning after the BAFTAs.

‘Chatter is the first stage to having a real conversation and to be able to truly explore if some of the things in your heart are loving or poisonous.’

The couple – who share two children, Willow and Jaden Smith – have found their marriage the topic of headlines in recent years, particularly when Jada discussed her relationship with singer August Alsina (not pictured). The Smith family is seen together in November 2021

The Smiths also got into a bit of an awkward situation on the 2022 SAG Awards red carpet in February.

The A-list couple was being interviewed by E! News host Laverne Cox who suddenly brought up the topic of entanglements, saying: ‘We can’t wait for more Red Table Talk and more entanglements.’

Jada smoothly navigated the uncomfortable situation, raising her fingers and saying, ‘No more of those!’ while smiling.

Cox laughed and said: ‘No more entanglements! I love you, girl. I’m just kidding. I’m just joshing you.’

The couple’s marriage has hit the headlines in recent years, particularly when Jada discussed her relationship with Alsina.

Earlier this month, during the BAFTAs ceremony, Rebel Wilson quipped on stage: ‘I thought [Will’s] best performance over the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends!’. Will responded to the jibe during a CBS Sunday Morning interview, saying he doesn’t care if people speculate about his marriage and instead he encourages the ‘chatter’ in the hope it will spark meaningful debate

The A-list couple was being interviewed by E! News host Laverne Cox on the 2022 SAG Awards red carpet in February when the actress suddenly brought up the topic of entanglements, saying: ‘We can’t wait for more Red Table Talk and more entanglements’

Jada first made waves with the word ‘entanglement’ in 2020 on her Facebook show, while describing her relationship with Alsina to her husband.

She did the show a month after August appeared on The Breakfast Club in June and claimed that he was in a relationship with the actress and had her husband’s ‘blessing.’

‘Four and a half years ago… I started a friendship with August. We actually became really, really good friends,’ Jada told Red Table.

‘It all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state.

‘From there as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August,’ she explained, later clarifying, ‘It was a relationship, absolutely.’

She added: ‘I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken. Now in the process of that relationship, I definitely realized that you can’t find happiness outside of yourself.’

The couple also clarified that they were separated at the time that the relationship took place.

Jada is battling autoimmune disorder alopecia, which can cause hair loss and balding (left). She has been open about her diagnosis on social media, even claiming her daughter (right) encouraged her ‘let go’

The original comment: Jada first made waves with the word ‘entanglement’ in 2020 on her Facebook show, while describing her relationship with musician August to her husband

In September 2021, the Aladdin star admitted his wife wasn’t ‘the only one engaging in other sexual relationships’ outside of their marriage.

However, he declined to go into detail, particularly because his mindset has changed in recent years.

He explained: ‘It may seem hard to believe, but I would lose sleep over not giving you the answer that I know you could use.

‘I want to help you, I want you to succeed, I want you to have a headline.

‘But by the same token, I don’t want to deal with the backlash of that in the world. To say I don’t want to talk about that three years ago would have been f****** excruciating for me.’

Smith admitted his wife never ‘believed in conventional marriage’ so they spent a long time figuring out their relationship boundaries.He said: ‘Jada never believed in conventional marriage.… Jada had family members that had an unconventional relationship.

Oscars winners revealed: Jessica Chastain celebrates as she FINALLY takes home Best Actress while CODA makes history with Best Picture gong… but Will Smith’s victory is marred after THAT shock slap

Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy for her titular role in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
CODA made history as the first ever streaming film to earn Best Picture for AppleTV+
However Will Smith’s victory being marred after a physical altercation with Chris Rock will no doubt be the most talked about moment of The Oscars
The 53-year-old actor earned the honor for his work as father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard just minutes after the awkward altercation in which he appeared to strike the 57-year-old comedian with an open hand
Accepting the award, Smith issued an apology for his emotional outburst, saying: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment’
The slapping incident occurred after Rock cracked jokes about the haircut of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The shocking scene, broadcast live around the world, appeared genuine and stunned both the live audience at the Dolby Theatre and TV viewers
Troy Kotsur became the first ever male actor to earn an acting Oscar for Coda 35 years his co-star Marlee Matlin made history as she became the first ever deaf actress to win an Oscar in 1987
Later on in the evening Sian Heder earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film as it went three for three on the night
Jane Campion became the third woman to earn Best Director for The Power Of The Dog
Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS also earned their first ever Oscar as they beat out an impressive field including Beyonce to earn Best Original Song
British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh also won his first ever Oscar as he earned Best Original Screenplay for Belfast

Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy and CODA made history as the first ever streaming film to earn Best Picture but Will Smith’s victory being marred after a physical altercation with Chris Rock will no doubt be the most talked about moment of The Oscars.

Smith had tearfully apologized as he won Best Actor after an ugly physical row with Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The 53-year-old actor earned the honor for his work as father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard just minutes after the awkward altercation in which he appeared to strike the 57-year-old comedian with an open hand.

Signature moment: Jessica Chastain finally won her first Best Actress trophy for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Awkward: Moments earlier, Will Smith tearfully apologized as he won Best Actor after an ugly physical row with Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith

He beat out Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos, Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield – tick, tick… BOOM!, and Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

‘Love makes you do crazy things’, the rapper and actor admitted as he accepted his Best Actor Oscar statuette.

He added that being a Hollywood star means you should be able to ‘have people disrespecting you and that ‘you just gotta smile and pretend it’s ok,’ he said.

But he added that he admired Richard Williams who ‘was a fierce defender of his family.’

‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people,’ he explained.

Smith went on to issue a tearful partial apology for his emotional outburst, but did not apologize to Rock. ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment,’ he said.

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father,’ said Smith.

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father,’ said Smith

Emotional: Smith had tears streaming down his face

Bond: He was greeted with a hug by pal Samuel L. Jackson who presented along Uma Thurman and John Travolta

Bond: Smith is seen in a still from the film alongside Demi Singleton (left) and Saniyya Sidney (center) who portray the younger versions of tennis megastars Venus and Serena Williams

Paying homage: During his acceptance speech Smith said that he admired Richard Williams who ‘was a fierce defender of his family’

Champs: Serena (left) and Venus Williams were in attendance at the event as they kicked off the show

Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito.

Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate.

‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the statement said. ‘The incident involved one individual slapping another.’

It was not immediately clear whether the Academy would penalize Smith in any way for his outburst.

The slapping incident occurred after Rock cracked jokes about the haircut of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The shocking scene, broadcast live around the world, appeared genuine and stunned both the live audience at the Dolby Theatre and TV viewers.

Golden: Shortly after, Jessica Chastain finally earned her first Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her work in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye

Earned it: The 45-year-old veteran actress earned the honor over Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter, Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos, and Kristen Stewart – Spencer

Impressive: The talented actress underwent a major transformation to become American televangelist Tammy Faye Messner

Epic: The biographical film the 45-year-old actress starred in was an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker as she played the titular role

Dynamic duo: Her partner in crime in the film was Andrew Garfield who played Tammy’s husband and fellow televangelist Jim Bakker

Personalized: After the event Chastain was ecstatic as she had her name inscribed into the Oscar

Her moment: Jessica’s smile did not leave her face in the aftermath of her big win

After Smith strode out on stage and appeared to strike Rock with an open right hand, Rock staggered and exclaimed ‘wow, Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’

Smith, visibly emotional, walked back to his seat in the audience and shouted: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.’

The exchange was muted on a delayed telecast in much of the US, but was aired in full to some international audiences.

Smith, who is nominated in the best actor category, appeared to take offence to a gag Rock made about Pinkett Smith’s short haircut.

Miracle: Perhaps the most surprising moment of all came during the announcement of the biggest prize of the night at the end of the event as Coda upset heavy favorite The Power Of The Dog for Best Picture

Beautiful: The film is centered around a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) named Ruby (played by Emilia Jones, pictured) who is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents

Referring to Pinkett Smith’s buzzcut, Rock said: ‘Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2’, prompting the actress to roll her eyes. Pinkett Smith has been grappling with hair loss since revealing her alopecia diagnosis in 2018.

After being slapped, Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.

He remarked: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television.

The film which Smith won for is a look at how tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams became who they are after the coaching from their father Richard Williams.

After being slapped, Rock appeared shocked and flustered as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.

Thumb’s up: Troy Kotsur earned Best Supporting Actor for his role in Coda at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night as he became the first ever male actor to win an Oscar

The talented actor was obviously emotional as he began his acceptance speech saying via translator: ‘This is amazing to be here on this journey. I cannot believe I’m here. Thank you so much to all the members of the academy for recognizing my work. It’s really amazing that our film Coda Has reached out worldwide’

‘It was not supposed to happen. It was real,’ he wrote.

After the slap seen round the world, Smith was seen being comforted and consoled by Denzel Washington and actor-producer Tyler Perry.

Bradley Cooper also pulled Smith aside and was seen in close conversation with him.

Setoodeh, watching from inside the theater, said that Smith’s publicist approached him and spoke to him during a commercial break.

Shortly after, Jessica Chastain finally earned her first Academy Award in the Best Actress category for her work in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye.

The 45-year-old veteran actress earned the honor over Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter, Penélope Cruz – Parallel Mothers, Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos, and Kristen Stewart – Spencer.

Touching: Kotsur shared a moment with Youn Yuh-jung who presented the award

Transformative: In the film the talented actor played Frank Rossi, the father of the main character of the film Ruby

The biographical film she starred in was an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker as she played the titular role.

The talented actress – who underwent a major transformation to become American televangelist Tammy Faye Messner – talked about the real life Tammy Faye’s impact on the LGBTQ+ community as she addressed Florida’s controversial ‘Don’t say gay bill’ in her acceptance speech.

She said: ‘We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us. There’s violence and hate crimes being perpetuated on innocent civilians all over the world. And in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love.

‘We’ve talked about love a lot. And I’m inspired by her compassion, and I see it as a guiding principle that leads us forward. And it connects us all in the desire that we want to be accepted for who we are, accepted for who we love, and to live a life without the fear of violence or terror. And for any of you out there who do in fact feel hopeless or alone, I just not you to know you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.’

Perhaps the most surprising moment of all came during the announcement of the biggest prize of the night at the end of the event as Coda upset heavy favorite The Power Of The Dog for Best Picture.

Coda – which also won all three awards it was nominated for – also made history as it became the first ever film from a streaming service to win the highest honor which was a massive win for AppleTV+.

It beat out a very impressive field including: Belfast (Focus Features), Don’t Look Up (Netflix), Drive My Car (Janus Films/Sideshow), Dune (Warner Bros), King Richard (Warner Bros), Licorice Pizza (MGM/United Artists Releasing), Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures), The Power Of The Dog (Netflix), and West Side Story (20th Century Studios).

Legend: His co-star Marlee Matlin (seen on the Oscars red carpet) became the first deaf actor – male or female – nominee and winner in 1987 for her work in Children Of A Lesser God

Iconic: Matlin is seen alongside William Hurt in 1986’s Children Of A Lesser God

The film is centered around a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) named Ruby (played by Emilia Jones) who is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music by wanting to go to Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.

It was a major night for the movie as it earned all three of the categories it was nominated as the drama also won Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Troy Kotsur became the first ever male actor to earn an acting Oscar 35 years after his co-star Marlee Matlin made history as she became the first ever deaf actress to win an Oscar in 1987.

The 53-year-old Mesa, Arizona native earned Best Supporting Actor for his role in Coda at the 94th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night as he became the first ever male actor to win an Oscar.

Her shining moment: Later on in the evening Sian Heder (right) earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film

Quite the field: She won over Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe), Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve), The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)

The 44-year-old American filmmaker – who also directed the film – said during her acceptance speech: ‘I want to thank all of my collaborators in the deaf community and CODA community for being my teachers

He beat out heavy competition including: Ciaran Hinds – Belfast , Jesse Plemons – The Power Of The Dog, J.K Simmons – Being The Ricardos, and Kodi Smitt-McPhee – The Power Of The Dog.

He told a hilarious joke about visiting the White House and meeting US President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden and wanting to teach him ‘dirty sign language’ before his castmate Marlee stopped him.

The most poignant moment came when the veteran actor dedicated the win to his father.

At the helm: Jane Campion became the third woman to earn Best Director for The Power Of The Dog during a very dramatic Oscars ceremony

He said: ‘My dad, he was the best signer in our family. But he was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down. And he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you I’ll always love you. You are my hero.’

Kotsur also said that his win was a win for the deaf and disabled community before thanking the rest of his family.

He concluded: ‘I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the deaf community, the C.O.D.A. Community and the disabled community. This is our moment. To my mom, my dad, and my brother mark. They’re not here today, but look at me now, I did it. I love you. Thank you.’

His co-star in the film Marlee Matlin became the first deaf actor – male or female – nominee and winner in 1987 for her work in Children Of A Lesser God.

What a moment: Earlier in the night, Ariana DeBose kicked off the show in fine form as she took home the coveted first win of the night earning Best Supporting Actress for her work in West Side Story

Golden: Ariana happily posed with her shiny new trophy in the press room

Epic: She hammed it up for the cameras

How sweet it is: She proudly kissed her new Oscar on the head

Tremendous trio: She was flanked by Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya and Grammy Award winning musician H.E.R.

Later on in the evening Sian Heder earned Best Adapted screenplay for the film as she won over Drive My Car (Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe), Dune (Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts & Denis Villeneuve), The Lost Daughter (Maggie Gyllenhaal), and The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion).

As if that already wasn’t enough milestones in the night, Jane Campion became the third woman to earn Best Director.

The 67-year-old filmmaker was recognized for her work at the helm of The Power Of The Dog during the star studded 94th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

On top: The North Carolina native faced stiff competition including Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter, Judi Dench – Belfast , Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog, and Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard

DeBose began her speech by saying: ‘Yikes. Okay. Oh, my word. You know what? What is this? You know what, now you see why Anita says I want to be in America, because even in this weary world that we live in, dreams do come true. And that’s really a heartening thing right now’

Epic: She played the iconic character of Anita in the Steven Spielberg directed film which was an adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds

She beat out: Kenneth Branagh – Belfast, Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car, and Steven Spielberg – West Side Story.

Campion, a nominee for 1993′s The Piano, became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director.

Earlier in the night, Ariana DeBose kicked off the show in fine form as she took home the coveted first win of the night earning Best Supporting Actress for her work in West Side Story.

‘There is indeed a place for us’: After thanking friends, family, cast, crew, and director Steven Spielberg she finished her speech with an encouraging message

Legends only: She was presented the honor by Daniel Kaluuya and H.E.R.

The North Carolina native faced stiff competition including Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter, Judi Dench – Belfast, Kirsten Dunst- The Power Of The Dog, and Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard.

Ariana played the iconic character of Anita in the Steven Spielberg directed film which was an adaptation of the 1957 musical, West Side Story explores forbidden love and the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

Golden: Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS also earned their first ever Oscar as they beat out an impressive field including Beyonce to earn Best Original Song

All eyes on her: Earlier in the night Billie had the audience in thrall on Sunday as she performed a soaring version of her James Bond theme song No Time To Die at the 2022 Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday

Small change: Billie traded out her red carpet look for a similar all-black ensemble that matched her raven tresses

Back in black: She was draped in a lustrous baggy black dress with a plunging V-shaped neckline, which culminating in loose-fitting pant legs

It takes two: Billy stood in the center of the stage, which was bathed in cool blue light, as she sang the tender dark ballad while Finneas played the piano to accompany her off to the side of the stage

Talented trio: The siblings were also joined by Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson who won Best Documentary Feature for Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

‘If I took the time to say thank you to every single beautiful person who has lifted me up on the stage, you’ll find people would be sitting here until next Oscars, so I’m going to going to do that, but allow me to say it was the summer of a lifetime and I am the most privileged and grateful to have spent it with all of you.’

After thanking friends, family, cast, crew, and director Steven Spielberg she finished her speech with an encouraging message.

She said: ‘Lastly, imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes, you see an openly queer woman of color and Latina who found her life and strength in art. That’s what I believe we’re here to celebrate.

‘So to anybody who has ever questioned your identity, ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, promise you this. There is indeed a place for us. Thank you to the academy and thank you all.’

Man with the plan: British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh also won his first ever Oscar as he earned Best Original Screenplay for Belfast

Billie Eilish and her brother FINNEAS also earned their first ever Oscar as they beat out an impressive field including Beyonce to earn Best Original Song.

The 20-year-old pop megastar and 24-year-old older brother were recognized for their work on No Time To Die from the James Bond film of the same name.

Eilish also made history with her performance by becoming the youngest person to win three major awards for the same song, as well as being the first person born in the 20th century to win an Oscar.

The two siblings made sure to thank their parents – Maggie Baird and Patrick O’Connell – ‘who have always been our biggest inspirations and our heroes. We love you as parents and we love you as real people, too.’

British actor and filmmaker Kenneth Branagh also won his first ever Oscar as he earned Best Original Screenplay for Belfast.

What a visual: Greig Fraser took home Best Cinematographer for his work on sci-fi epic Dune

Icon: Hans Zimmer was not in attendance at the event but did win Best Original Soundtrack over Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell), Encanto (Germaine Franco), Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias), and The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood) as he shared this humorous snap on Twitter

Well deserved: The team for Dune accepting the Best Sound

What a night: Brian Connor, Paul Lambert, Gerd Nefzer and Tristan Myle are seen left right as they were honored in the Visual Effects category

Stunning: Dune – directed by Denis Villeneuve – is centered around a noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy’s most valuable asset while its scion becomes troubled by visions of a dark future

Squad: Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein win the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for Summer Of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Leading the way: Jenny Beavan seen speaking on-stage after receiving the Oscar for Best Costume Design for Cruella from Lupita Nyong’o

Rising son: Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi accepted the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for Drive My Car as he represented Japan

The 61-year-old star earned the win over Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay & David Sirota), Licorice Pizza (Paul Thomas Anderson), King Richard (Zach Baylin), and The Worst Person in the World (Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt)

As expected Dune swept the technical and craft categories and also earned Best Cinematography and Best Original Score making it a huge night for the sci-fi epic as it ended the night with the most wins earning six.

Dune’s Greig Fraser triumphed in the Cinematography category beating out heavy competition including: Nightmare Alley (Dan Lausten), The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner), The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel), and West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski).

Suited up: Lady Gaga rocked a black sequined tuxedo and a bow tie while taking the stage to present the award for Best Picture alongside legend Liza Minnelli as they led the star parade of presenters

Looking good! After skipping the red carpet earlier in the night, the 36-year-old pop star radiated beauty in a shiny blazer layered over a white dress shirt with black buttons and a dainty pearl necklace

Dynamic duo: Oscar-winner Daniel Kaluuya (left) and musical artist H.E.R. were the first to present an award

Two decades later: John Travolta and Uma Thurman recreated their famous twist contest scene in Pulp Fiction while presenting at the 94th Academy Awards alongside their former costar Samuel L. Jackson on Sunday

Stunners: Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o (left) and US costume designer Ruth E. Carter are also seen presenting

Tremendous trio: Jennifer Garner, Elliot Page, and J.K. Simmon spoke on stage as it was the 15 year anniversary of Oscar-nominated flick Juno

Living legend: Anthony Hopkins presented the Best Actress award

They’re back: Wesley Snipes, Rosie Perez, and Woody Harrelson (seen left to right) presented as it is the 30th anniversary of White Men Can’t Jump

Hans Zimmer was not in attendance at the event but did win Best Original Soundtrack over: Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell), Encanto (Germaine Franco), Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias), and The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood).

The win helped the 64-year-old German star – who is regarded as one of the most famous composers in the world – earn his first Oscar in 27 years as he last won for The Lion King Soundtrack in 1995.

The film also earned awards for best sound, editing, and production design.

Dune – directed by Denis Villeneuve – is centered around a noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy’s most valuable asset while its scion becomes troubled by visions of a dark future.

Oscars red carpet 2022: Lily James stuns in a racy pink lace gown while Best Actress nominee Olivia Colman sparkles in silver as they join Emilia Jones and Judi Dench leading the Brits on the red carpet

Lily James and Olivia Colman were among a slew of British stars leading the charge at the 94th Academy Awards at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on Sunday.

Gracing the star-studded red carpet, the Pam & Tommy star put on yet another daring display in a revealing pink lace gown, as she joined fellow UK favourites Dame Judi Dench and Emilia Jones at the ceremony.

Following it’s return to full form in the wake of the Covid pandemic, this year’s Oscars has seen huge recognition for British talent, with Kenneth Branagh’s biopic Belfast also landing seven nominations including Best Picture.

Here come the Brits! Lily James (far left) and Olivia Colman (second left) joined a slew of UK stars including Emilie Jones (second right) and Dame Judi Dench (far right) gracing the red carpet for the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday

Turning up the glamour, Lily showed off her phenomenal figure in the gorgeous number that also flaunted her ample assets with a daring neckline.

The dress also featured a long chiffon train and was adorned with intricate pink flowers sewn into the semi-sheer fabric.

She completed the look with a pair of chunky pink satin heels and wore a statement silver necklace to draw attention to her cleavage.

Wow! Lily put on a very leggy display in a daring pink lace dress with a dramatic thigh-high split, ensuring all eyes were on her in the pink lace Versace gown that showed off her toned and tanned pins

Style: The dress also featured a long chiffon train and was adorned with intricate pink flowers sewn into the semi-sheer fabric

Beauty: Turning up the glamour, she showed off her phenomenal figure in the gorgeous number that also flaunted her ample assets with a daring neckline

Cute! She later joined her musician boyfriend Michael Shuman on the red carpet and held his hand

Incredible: She completed the look with a pair of chunky pink satin heels and wore a statement silver necklace to draw attention to her cleavage

Exciting: The Academy Awards are taking place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday evening with comedians Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes as hosts and Beyonce as well as Billie Eilish as performers

Confident: She made sure all eyes were on her in the daring pink dress that showed off her endless legs

Design: The Versace dress featured thin straps over her shoulders and a longer train. It comes in the midst of a huge year for Lily following the release of Pam & Tommy

Lily wore her dark brunette tresses in a bouncy blow-dried style and opted for a typically glamorous makeup look.

Meanwhile Olivia, who has landed a Best Actress nod for her performance in Netflix’s film The Lost Daughter, exuded elegance in a silver metallic gown.

The former Oscar winner’s dress boasted a simple flowing skirt and a sophisticated high neck as she joined arrives ahead of the ceremony.

Adding a touch of glamour with diamond drop earrings, Olivia swept her brunette tresses into a coiffed beehive to allow her dress to take centre stage.

A vision: Meanwhile Olivia, who has landed a Best Actress nod for her performance in Netflix’s film The Lost Daughter, exuded elegance in a silver metallic gown

Flawless: Adding a touch of glamour with diamond drop earrings, Olivia swept her brunette tresses into a coiffed beehive to allow her dress to take centre stage

Hard to miss! The former Oscar winner’s dress boasted a simple flowing skirt and a sophisticated high neck as she joined arrives ahead of the ceremony

Supportive: Olivia was accompanied by her husband Ed Sinclair, who put on his own dapper display as they posed up a storm together on the red carpet

Jovial: The couple, who married in 2001, were every inch the picture perfect pair

Praised: Olivia was lauded for her role in The Lost Daughter, and landed a nomination for Best Actress

Emilia, who is the daughter of singer and presenter Aled Jones, looked stunning in a shimmering gold gown from Dolca and Gabbana with revealing cut-outs, which shimmered under the lights.

The CODA star’s chocolate tresses were swept up in an elegant high bun that showed off her dainty diamond earrings.

She opted for a full palette of makeup which accentuated her natural beauty as she posed up a storm for the cameras.

In Coda, Emilia plays 17-year-old Ruby, the only hearing member of a deaf family.

Gold standard! Emilia, who is the daughter of singer and presenter Aled Jones, looked stunning in a shimmering gold gown from Dolca and Gabbana with revealing cut-outs, which shimmered under the lights

Beautiful: The CODA star’s chocolate tresses were swept up in an elegant high bun that showed off her dainty diamond earrings

Revealing: Emilia opted for a full palette of makeup which accentuated her natural beauty as she posed up a storm for the cameras ahead of the ceremony

Role: In Coda, Emilia plays 17-year-old Ruby, the only hearing member of a deaf family

Proving she could still wow onlookers after decades in the film industry, Dame Judi opted for a simple white gown and a matching overcoat adorned with pearls.

The screen veteran, who has landed a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role in Belfast, was accompanied by her grandson Sam Williams on the red carpet.

Judi accessorised with a matching white clutch handbag and donned a flashy gold watch to match her rings.

The Academy Awards ceremony has returned to its regular venue of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California after being held at Union Station last year.

Sophisticated: Proving she could still wow onlookers after decades in the film industry, Dame Judi opted for a simple white gown and a matching overcoat adorned with pearls

Family: Judi was accompanied by her grandson Sam Williams, who opted for a smart black tuxedo

In a rather bold move, the show will be hosted by a trio of stars in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes as it has gone without a host over the last three years.

The trio have made history as it is the first time there is an all-female host line-up as they are also the first emcees since 2018.

Netflix’s Power Of The Dog led nominations with 12 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Campion, a nominee for 1993′s The Piano, became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director.

Last year, Chloé Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award. Campion’s director of photography, Ari Wegner, also became the second woman ever nominated for Best Cinematography.

Dune followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories that rewarded the gargantuan craft of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, yet unexpectedly bypassed Villeneuve’s direction.

The Warner Bros. release debuted simultaneously in theaters and — against the strenuous objections of its director — on HBO Max.

With The Power Of The Dog and Dune, the nominees for best picture are: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, King Richard, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story.

No streaming service has ever won Best Picture, but half of the 10 nominees were released by streamers. This year, the odds may be better than ever that Netflix — which led all studios with 27 nominations — or another service will finally break through.

Apple TV+ notched its first best-picture nomination with the deaf drama CODA, which also made history as Supporting Actor nominee Troy Kotsur became only the second deaf actor ever nominated as his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin was the first in 1987.

Netflix backed The Power of the Dog and Adam McKay’s apocalyptic comedy Don’t Look Up. And both King Richard and Dune launched on HBO Max. Even the academy for the first time ruled out hard-copy DVD screeners for its members, who instead could watch submissions on the academy’s streaming platform.

It is also set to be a night of great musical performances as Beyonce and Billie Eilish are set to perform but outspoken vaccine skeptic Van Morrison is skipping Hollywood’s biggest night.

All three performers are nominated for Best Song along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Diane Warren, whose songs will also be performed on the broadcast.

Pop superstar Beyonce’s Oscar-nominated ballad Be Alive was penned for tennis biopic King Richard, which stars Will Smith as the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams.

Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that Beyonce will perform live from the tennis courts in Compton where the sisters played as children.

Eilish and her brother Finneas will perform No Time To Die from the recent James Bond movie.

But while Morrison, who wrote Down to Joy for Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white childhood drama Belfast, was invited to perform at the star-studded gala, he ‘will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule,’ organizers said.

The singer, known as ‘Van the Man’ to his fans, is due to tour England in late March, before arriving in the US next month for further dates.

Morrison’s high-profile criticism of pandemic restrictions — including three anti-lockdown ‘protest songs’ — and opposition to vaccine mandates had led to questions about whether he would be welcomed at the Oscars.

The ceremony taking place Sunday in Hollywood requires nominees, guests and press to be vaccinated, although performers and presenters are reportedly able to attend without proof of vaccine if they undergo rigorous testing.

Miranda’s Dos Oruguitas from Disney animated movie Encanto will be performed by Sebastian Yatra.

Best known for creating Broadway sensation Hamilton, Miranda will attain the coveted and rare EGOT status for winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award if he wins on Sunday.

Warren’s song Somehow You Do from Four Good Days — which will be performed by Reba McEntire — is her 13th Oscar nomination, but she has never won.

Also performing at the Oscars will be an all-star band including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and DJ D-Nice.

There will also be many A-list presenters including Bill Murray, Lady Gaga, Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoë Kravitz, Lupita Nyong’o. Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, and Mila Kunis.

As if that already wasn’t enough John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Yuh-jung Youn, Ruth E. Carter, Halle Bailey, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Stephanie Beatriz, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Garner, H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Tony Hawk, Elliot Page, Kelly Slater and Shaun White will also be taking to the stage.

One controversy which sprang up earlier this week, however was West Side Story star Rachel Zegler not being invited to the ceremony despite her film being nominated for seven awards.

Zegler, 20, created a bit of a firestorm on social media as she revealed over the weekend that she will not be in attendance at The Oscars despite being the lead – Maria Vasquez – for the Steven Spielberg directed flick.

She posted on Instagram Sunday that she tried to go but ‘it doesn´t seem to be happening’ and that she will be rooting for West Side Story from her couch.

‘I hope some last minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that´s how it goes sometimes, I guess,’ Zegler continued on Instagram. ‘Thanks for all the shock and outrage – I´m disappointed, too. But that’s OK. So proud of our movie.However, on Tuesday it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter that she had been invited to present.

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Oscars red carpet 2022: Lily James stuns in a racy pink lace gown while Best Actress nominee Olivia Colman sparkles in silver as they join Emilia Jones and Judi Dench leading the Brits on the red carpet