The Punch was not the only big moment of the 2022 Oscars
Not 'The Power of the Dog,' not 'Dune', not Jane Campion, not Jessica Chastain. The protagonist of the night (for better or worse) was Will Smith.
About half an hour before he heard his name called to pick up the most coveted prize in his career, the Oscar for Best Actor for 'King Richard', Will walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face. People inside and outside the Hollywood Dolby Theater were stunned. Was this a real fight or scripted?
It happened when Chris Rock presented the Oscar for Best Documentary. He made a bad joke about the shaved head of Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. She didn't have this look for fun, but because of issues with alopecia.
After listening to the comedian, Will Smith walked up to the stage and hit him, something that appeared to be rehearsed. But the incident went further. Upon returning to his seat, the actor berated Chris Rock for his bad joke.
Will Smith yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth." It's one of the banned words on American television, and ABC instantly censored it, so it became clear right away that the interaction had not been in the Oscar gala's script.
In a bizarre course of events, Will Smith (who had been comforted during the break by Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington, among others) turned out to be the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor. In his tearful acceptance speech, Smith apologized for his behavior to the Academy and his fellow nominees. But not Chris Rock.
The incident will go into the history books as an upset of the same magnitude as the 'La La Land' error in 2017. Remember, that was the day Warren Beatty announced the wrong movie as the winner of the Oscar for Best Picture. And while 'La La Land' producers and cast were celebrating on stage, others had to correct the error and announce that it was actually 'Moonlight' that had won.
Despite The Incident, the 94th Academy Awards gave the world yet another style lesson with this Zendaya look: a two-piece set by Valentino that drew flashes and compliments.
Another moment to remember was when Jessica Chastain received her first Oscar for 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'. A deserved and desired award.
Also noteworthy is Ariana DeBose, the first openly queer actress to win an Oscar, in this case for Best Supporting Actress in the Spielberg classic 'West Side Story'.
It was wonderful to see Troy Kotsur win his statuette for Best Supporting Actor for 'The Rhythm of the Heart'. He is deaf and the audience rose to applaud him in sign language.
This Disney movie won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, but it lost in the Soundtrack and Song category. 'Dos Oruguitas' by Sebastián Yatra failed to beat 'No Time To Die' by Billie Eilish and Phinneas.
Interestingly, the most successful song from the movie 'Encanto,' titled 'No Se Habla de Bruno', did not get an Oscar nomination. It was performed by Becky G, Luis Fonsi and Megan Thee Stallion at the ceremony.
For her part, Billie Eilish gave a simply majestic performance of the winning song: 'No Time To Die', which is part of the soundtrack of the Bond movie 'No Time to Die.'
What did Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker do at the Oscars? Maybe they just wanted to exchange a kiss in order to become a worldwide trend.
Another kiss that spread like wildfire on social media was that of Kristen Stewart with her fiancée Dylan Meyers, accompanied by a sweet "I Love You" that everyone read on their lips.
Beyoncé was also a trending thanks to her rendition of 'Be Alive' from the movie 'King Richard.' The diva wore a fluorescent outfit to rock the stage.
Like every year, humor was part of the night and Amy Schumer was one of those responsible for it. She joked with Leonardo DiCaprio and his "fight against climate change to leave a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends," implying that he always dates much younger women.
Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall took the opportunity to say that they were hired to present the 2022 Oscars because "it was cheaper than hiring a man."
The homage to 'The Godfather', a film that celebrates its 50th anniversary, was very apt. On stage, Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro received a standing ovation.
'Juno', 'Pulp Fiction', 'White Men Can't Jump' and the James Bond saga also received tributes and celebrated birthdays, with the presence of their protagonists.
Liza Minnelli and Lady Gaga presented the Oscar for Best Picture. They starred in another great moment of the night, celebrating the 50th anniversary of 'Cabaret.' And then they announced the big winner of the evening: 'CODA'.