Real or staged? Oscars 2022 official sets record straight on Will Smith slap

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock across the face at the 2022 Oscars was not a planned stunt, an official confirmed Sunday night.

“Someone who works for the Oscars told me that Chris Rock was not interrupted by Will Smith at rehearsals yesterday,” Variety executive editor Ramin Setoodeh tweeted from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

“It was not supposed to happen. It was real. #Oscars,” he added.

Reps for the Oscars did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment.

Smith, 53, stunned and confused the world when he walked on stage and struck Rock, 57, in the face after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head — resulting from her struggle with alopecia.