Chris Rock praised for not hitting Will Smith back after Oscar slap: ‘We need to applaud his professionalism'

Chris Rock is being praised on social media for carrying on at the Oscars following an altercation with Will Smith on Sunday night.

The drama between the comic and the actor unfolded during the televised ceremony when Rock, 57, took aim at Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

"Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, all right?" Rock joked, referring to the 1997 film "G.I. Jane," starring Demi Moore, who shaved her head to portray a fictional Navy SEAL candidate.

The 50-year-old revealed in 2018 that she was diagnosed with alopecia, and has often discussed the challenges of hair loss on Instagram and other social media platforms.

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The joke missed, badly.

Smith walked onto the stage from his front-row seat and took a swing at Rock with an open palm, generating a loud smack. Smith walked back to his seat and shouted for Rock to leave Pinkett Smith alone. Rock replied that he was just making a "G.I. Jane" joke – and Smith yelled back at him a second time.

Smith shouted at Rock to "keep my wife’s name out of your f---ing mouth," and the crowd hushed as it became clear this was no act.

As the moment went viral, many took to social media and commended Rock for not escalating the interaction.

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"If Chris Rock had hit Will Smith back, we all would have said Chris Rock is a bad person right?" one viewer tweeted. "Firstly, we all need to applaud his professionalism for not hitting Will Smith back. The words Will Smith said at the end could have been said instead of slapping him and he’d stop."

"Imagine if Chris Rock slapped back then you'd have a brawl at the Oscars," another chimed.

"Not everybody knew Jada had skin issues?" one user commented. "I didn’t know she had health problems until my wife said something. You could stand up for your wife’s honor without physical violence. Had Chris Rock hit back and a brawl perused we’d be saying something different."

"Everyone talking about #WillSmith but the REAL MAN was #ChrisRock," one viewer tweeted. "This man could have taken the Will Smith low road but stood there LIKE a REAL MAN, COMPOSED HIMSELF, REMAINED PROFESSIONAL, and chose not to embarrass minorities anymore than what had already happened. Facts."

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"There were many ways to address Chris Rock’s awful joke," one viewer added. "This was not the one to choose. There are many ways to protect your family. This was not the way to do it. We watched him slap a man and scream at him and then we applauded him. Ugh. Can we please do better?"

In 2020, Rock visited "The Howard Stern Show" and discussed how he was diagnosed with a nonverbal learning disorder. The star also recalled how he confronted a childhood bully on the set of "Top Five."

"One of my bullies was working security on the movie," said Rock at the time. "A guy who literally one day in school turned me upside down and shook the money out of my pockets… I just gave him a quick look like, you know, I hope you’re doing well. Take care. And I kept it moving. I didn’t, like, ‘Get him off the set! Get him fired!’ It’s like… he could have been my friend.  He could have been in the trailer with us watching ‘The Godfather.’ You know what I mean?"

"The fact that he had to go through that whole day, watch me walk around, watch me… be me. All my glory… I didn’t have to do anything," he continued. "… You ever watch Bugs Bunny?... You know when Elmer Fudd got really mad at Bugs Bunny? When Bugs Bunny kissed him. That’s when he would lose his mind. When somebody does you wrong, just give them a kiss."

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The moment involving Smith and Rock shocked the Dolby Theatre audience. At the commercial break, presenter Daniel Kaluuya came up to hug Smith, and Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage. The two talked and hugged and Tyler Perry came over to talk as well.

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

"I’m hoping the Academy invites me back," said Smith.

Reps for Smith, Pinkett Smith and Rock didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A spokesperson for the Academy also didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning whether Smith will be invited back to the Oscars.

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Smith went on to win his first Academy Award. However, the confrontation overshadowed his milestone. He was previously nominated twice for best actor, for his role in "Ali" in 2002 and "The Pursuit of Happyness" in 2007. In those films, he portrayed real-life characters: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and Chris Garner, a homeless salesman.

This time, Smith won against formidable competition, including Andrew Garfield, Javier Bardem, Benedict Cumberbatch and Denzel Washington – who won his first and only best actor Oscar award in 2002 over Smith for "Training Day."

Two hours after the incident, The Academy issued a statement urging that the focus be on the winners of the evening.

"The Academy does not condone violence of any form," the tweet read. "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 Associated Press contributed to this report.