Body Language Expert Decodes Will And Jada Pinkett Smith's Reaction To Awkward Oscars Joke - Exclusive
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars and needless to say, it left everyone stunned, shocked, and completely surprised. Will came on stage soon after Rock made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and delivered the slap heard around the world. Rock said, "Jada, love you, 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," which was apparently a jab made at Jada's struggle with alopecia, per CNN.
Even though everyone is still trying to decode, decipher, and dissect Will's slap at Rock from all different angles, Regina Hall took a jab at his marriage to Jada well before Rock even stepped onstage. Between awards, Hall joked that some of the pre-show COVID-19 tests were lost and said that "emergency testing" needed to conveniently be done on a few of the industry's hottest bachelors, including Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, and so on. Hall then zeroed in on Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. According to the Daily Beast, Hall poked fun at reports of the Smiths' open marriage and quipped to Will, "You're married, but you know what? You're on the list, and it looks like Jada approved you, so you get on up here!" While fans are still fuming after Will's attack on Rock, one body language expert has exclusively decoded Will and Jada's reaction to the other awkward joke that was made at their expense.
Will and Jada have each other's backs
Even though Regina Hall made a joke about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's marriage, no one got up on stage and slapped Jada's former "Girls Trip" co-star Hall across the face. According to body language expert and communication coach Jess Ponce III, who is also the author of the book, "A.W.E.S.O.M.E.," the Smiths laughed along while looking "sweetly embarrassed" and even bashful over it. Ponce told Nicki Swift in an exclusive interview that the Smiths sure looked "overly composed" despite the joke made about their marriage, noting that Jada remained particularly "purposeful in her response." In fact, Ponce explains that Jada at "one point she lifted her hand and pointed to the stage as if to say, 'You got me, and I see you,'" like two friends in on a secret joke.
However, Ponce said that Jada's body language left "us to wonder her true feelings," adding, "Could she be hiding something?" Ponce said that after Will stopped playing along with Hall's joke he put his focus back on his wife. He explained, "There was a tender moment. He leaned in Jada's direction, as if to affirm his affection for her, and had a little boy sensibility." In other words, it looks like Will and Jada's relationship won't let any kind of joke — or 'rock' — get between them.
Was Will already mad?
Now we know the Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith appeared to stay pretty composed after the first joke about them of the night, what exactly made things escalate to the point Will slapped Chris Rock in the face? Well, while it's definitely possible the two were already a little worn down from being the butt of the first joke, rumors have also swirled that Will was potentially already upset with Rock before he made his now infamous quip.
The group already had history when it comes to being poked fun of at the Oscars, with Los Angeles Times noting Rock had previously made a quip about Jada at the 2016 Academy Awards. "Jada got mad? Jada says she's not coming. Protesting. I'm like, 'Isn't she on a TV show?' Jada's gonna boycott the Oscars? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties. I wasn't invited," he quipped at the time. Rock's joke was in responds to Jada claiming on Facebook she would not attend the prestigious ceremony due to a lack of representation, though she did refer to Rock as being her "friend" at the time.
A source claimed to People in the wake of the slapping incident that Will was supposedly "still mad about that," and it's certainly possible things were even more heated in the wake of co-host Regina Hall's initial quip, no matter how the two appeared to take it on the surface.
What the hosts said
Regina Hall doesn't appear to have addressed all the Will Smith controversy surrounding the 2022 Oscars and, as of March 29, hadn't posted on her Twitter or Instagram accounts since the dramatic night. Her co-host Amy Schumer did address Will's seriously shocking incident, though, proving why she's one of the funniest comedians in the game as she joked about it when she returned to the stage. "I've been getting out of the Spider-Man costume... did I miss anything?" she quipped, per Independent. "There's, like, a different vibe in here. Probably not... well anyway." Will appeared to be back in good spirits at that point though after being the butt of two jokes, as he was seen laughing from the audience.
But that wasn't the only time Will's presence was felt at the ceremony. The twosome's co-host, Wanda Sykes, actually dressed up Richard Williams during the ceremony, seemingly as a nod to Will's portrayal of him in "King Richard." She hilariously pushed a grocery story cart full of tennis balls across the stage as she rocked sneakers with pulled up socks, white shorts, and a red sweater.
One thing's for sure, the Smiths were all over the 2022 Oscars.