Will Smith smacks Chris Rock during the Oscars: 9 other moments that made history

So there’s a new meme in town thanks to an encounter on the Oscar stage. Will Smith, best known as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, smacked comic Chris Rock for his remarks about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock commented on her baldness – a result of a medical condition – and Smith decided not to put up with it. Soon after, Smith returned to the stage to claim an Oscar for Best Leading Actor for his role as Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, in 'King Richard'.

This isn’t the first time Smith has slapped someone in public; there was a time he hit a reporter who tried to kiss him on his cheek at the Men in Black 3 premiere in Moscow. And this isn’t the first time an encounter at the awards has gone viral. Here’s a look at nine other moments that made history. Above: Will Smith (right) and Saniyya Sidney(left) arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

In 1973, Marlon Brando declines Oscar: Marlon Brando was honored by the Academy for his critically-acclaimed and memorable performance as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Brando famously declined to attend and offered up his place to Native American civil rights activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who read a letter from the star. The letter explained that Brando was rejecting the award as a statement against the unfair “treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”

Chris Rock was part of another memorable hosting moment in 2016: Before he got slapped by Will Smith on Sunday. Hosting the prestigious ceremony amidst the #OscarsSoWhite racism controversy, Rock said, “I’m here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards... If they nominated hosts I wouldn’t even get this job.”

In 2017, the wrong movie gets announced for Best Picture: It was an epic fail when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced the wrong film title had won the Best Picture. Instead of ‘Moonlight’, they declared ‘La La Land’ as the winner of 2017 Best Movie Oscars. It was one of the most inglorious moments in Oscar history. What’s in a name, you ask? A whole lot when you don’t get the basics right. There was no going back after this faux paus.

In 2019, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper gave a steamy performance: When Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's ‘A Star Is Born’ hit the theaters in 2018, fans immediately starting pairing them as a couple, even though Gaga was engaged and Bradley was in a long-term relationship. Their passionate performance on the song ‘Shallow’ at the 2019 Oscars only added fuel to the fire.

In 2000: Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided on cheeky costumes that took aim at the likes of J. Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow. Their duo, who were nominated for Best Original Song, wore versions of the ladies' well publisized outfits, from the Grammys and Oscars respectively. Later, they admitted the satorial style was a result of imbibing narcotics. Above: Matt Stone [centre] wearing a dress in the stye of Gwyneth Paltrow's outfit from last year's Oscars and Trey Parker (left) wearing a dress similar to those worn by Jennifer Lopez and Geri Halliwell.

Angelina Jolie’s wild days: Well-known actress, activist and mother, Angelina Jolie is known to have had a colourful ‘wild child’ phase in Hollywood. In what many fans and colleagues thought inappropriate, Jolie famously locked lips with her brother on the red carpet before the 2000 Academy Awards. She ended the night winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Girl, Interrupted. Accepting her Oscar, she said, "I'm so in love with my brother right now.” Above: Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie poses with her brother James.

In 2020, the lights went down on 'Parasite' acceptance speech. The cast and crew of Parasite were not allowed to enjoy their glorious win at the 2020 Oscars when the lights on the stage dimmed as they collected the award for Best Picture. It was a cue for them to wrap things up, but Hollywood stars were having none of it. Stars including Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron and other stars started chanting "Up! Up! Up!" so that the Parasite team could fully enjoy their huge victory. It was a prime example of Hollywood standing up for their own and not taking things lying down. And the team of ‘Parasite’ made the most of their glorious win.

In 2021, the Academy Awards came to a dramatic finale: Many people expected — or hoped — that the late Chadwick Boseman would win Best Actor, but he was ousted by Anthony Hopkins, the lead star in ‘The Father’. Anthony wasn't present to accept the award, but he later posted a video in honor of Chadwick, who "was taken from us way too soon."

Bjork's 2001 swan dress: The quirky bird-inspired dress would have been a statement on its own, but Björk took it a step further when she pretended to lay an egg on the red carpet. It's still one of the most talked-about Oscars outfits. It was a crystal-encrusted body stocking surrounded by a puff of white tulle, with a long neck that draped around her own, the orange beak resting on her chest.