After a tense altercation at the 2022 Academy Awards, Chris Rock has reportedly declined to file a police report after Will Smith slapped him on stage.
The Los Angeles Police Department revealed in a statement to Variety that “investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program.”
“The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report,” the report added.
However, if Rock changes his mind, he will be allowed to file in the future, the statement revealed.
Rock’s representatives declined to comment to PEOPLE.
During the live show, the 57-year-old comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith prior to presenting the award for Best Documentary. Rock pointed to Jada and made a reference to her being in a sequel to “G.I. Jane” due to her shaved head.
Pinkett Smith previously revealed that she suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair to fall out, so she was visibly unamused by the joke.
Smith then seemed to take matters into his own hands as he walked up to Rock and smacked him.
Fans in the audience and at home were confused as to whether the moment was staged, but Variety reports that following the altercation, Smith appeared to yell: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”
The audio was censored on the broadcast.
Later in the evening, Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Venus and Serena Williams' father in "King Richard." While he didn't directly reference Rock by name during his acceptance speech, a teary-eyed Smith did say: “I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all of my fellow nominees.”
The actor also joked that, "Art imitates life: I look like the crazy father. Just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things."
He continued: "Being able to love and care for my mother and my family, my wife ... Thank you for this honor. Thank you for this moment. ... I hope the Academy invites me back."
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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences later released a statement saying: "The Academy does not condone violence of any form."
PEOPLE reports that tensions between Smith and Rock date back several years to the comedian’s hosting gig at the 2016 Academy Awards when he made fun of Pinkett Smith for boycotting the show in his opening monologue.
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