MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

'Smug' Will Smith 're-booted his alpha status' after Chris Rock slap, while Jada was in 'pain': Expert

The 'Bad Boys' star slapped veteran comedian Chris Rock for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's apparent hair loss due to alopecia

A body language expert has claimed that Will Smith thought he had "re-booted his alpha status" after assaulting Chris Rock at the Oscars, and later seemed "defiant and showboating" at the afterparty.

The 'Bad Boys' star slapped the veteran comedian for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's apparent hair loss due to alopecia. However, a body language expert has insisted that tensions had been rising throughout the evening, marked by Will Smith faking laughs at Rock's "very sexist gags" ahead of the incident. Smith, who was later awarded Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, returned to the red carpet looking "confident and victorious" despite his controversial outburst earlier that evening, the expert added.

RELATED ARTICLES

Who is Will Smith's mom? Carolyn Smith, 85, says son's assault on Chris Rock 'surprised' her

Are Jada and Will Smith scientologists? Truth behind resurfaced rumors

"Will walked back to his seat with what looked like a smug smile as though he had re-booted his alpha status after more than one slight during the evening," body language expert Judi James told the Daily Mail. "Later though, a much more defiant and showboating version of Will seemed to appear."

James said the joke that sparked the violent response from Will wasn't the first to produce contrasting body language signals from him and his wife that evening. Actress Regina Hall had picked out male members from the audience earlier in the ceremony, teasing that she would take them backstage for a Covid test, strip them, and swab the "back of their mouths with my tongue." James explained, "While the poor guys on stage stood looking awkward and embarrassed, the presenter picked on Will who, although she said was married, 'it looks like Jada approves, so get up here.' While Will shook his head laughing, Jada shook her head with a stonier expression and pointed one index finger at the stage in a signal of disapproval."

Despite being a good sport at the beginning of the ceremony, James said his laughter was likely not genuine. "The very sexist gags from the stage had created a slightly polarized response from the audience," the expert continued. "But Will's body language had seemed to define a good-humored guy who was happy to share the joke while waiting to see if he had won his own category. Will's response to other gags did at times look incongruent in terms of genuine inner pleasure, though. His open-mouthed laughter and exaggerated clapping suggested performed amusement rather than the real thing but it did make him look like the good sport alongside Jada's more measured responses."

Darren Stanton, another body language expert, told the Mail that he agreed that Will Smith's body was "tense" while he laughed at Rock's gag about his wife. "As Chris Rock made the joke, what was really interesting to see was that initially Will laughed and he sat back in his chair," he explained. "However, it was the kind of laughter you give when you don't find something genuinely funny and he appeared tense. It's claimed Jada mentioned something to him which sparked him to get up and do what he did. After seeing Jada's face, Will then reacted suggesting he was spurred on by his wife's emotional response."

Despite Smith initially laughing at the joke, Jada responded by taking a few moments to digest the joke before giving a cold look of "despair, anger, and dismissal." James said, "Her eye-roll showed despair, anger, and dismissal, followed by a stiffening of her spine and features and a clasping of her hands to signal pain and displeasure. Her look to Chris seemed to signal cold disapproval. Will did continue with the laughter when Chris Rock let rip with his fateful line about GI Jane 2. It was a less exaggerated laugh than his earlier rituals, suggesting he might have sensed a potential problem but he still looked keen to be polite while the camera picked him out."

Meanwhile, Stanton said there was a "visible emotional shift" between the couple, showing that the gag "clearly made Jada uncomfortable and signs of awkwardness and disdain, due to her embarrassment, were visible across her face." He added, "Jada reacted by rolling her eyes. This is a low-level gesture that someone can make to demonstrate their unhappiness and it can visualize their disgust or internal aggression."

James believes there was a point after the joke when Smith realized the despair the jibe had caused his wife, and "adjusted his own accordingly." She observed, "The cameras only picked up his march onto the stage. There had been another staged interruption earlier when a DJ walked on as the three women were presenting. As a joke, it had gone rather flat but it did suggest this would be something of the same."

After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and warned the comedian to "keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth." Upon his return, Stanton believes, the actor showed indications of legitimate anger. "As Will sat back down after approaching Chris, the first thing he did was thrust his chin outwards - a gesture used to assert power and dominance. We can also see flared nostrils, prolonged eye contact, which are signs of genuine anger," Stanton told the Daily Mail. "This level of emotion cannot be faked, suggesting that Will's reaction and the degree of anger he was displaying was 100 per cent real," he insisted.