What started as an innocent photo of Nicole Kidman’s genuine surprise turned into a misinterpreted moment that spread like wildfire across social media platforms.
On Sunday, social media users shared a picture of Nicole Kidman “reacting” to Will Smith punching Chris Rock.
It turns out that the footage was actually filmed before the 2022 Oscars were televised.
The Best Actress nominee, 54, was photographed sitting in an Armani Prive gown with her mouth open and her eyes wide as if she was about to get out of her seat.
Although many fans believed that Kidman was responding to the slap, the photo was actually taken three hours earlier, at 4:30 p.m. PT while guests were still checking in.
Before the broadcast part of the ceremony, eight prizes were awarded in the categories of film editing, sound, cosmetics and hairdressing.
Kidman’s surprised response, which was most likely about one of the winners, was taken out of context and quickly went viral.
According to several inaccurate stories, Kidman was reacting to the moment Smith, 53, punched Rock, 57, on stage after the comedian made fun of Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head and the image went viral.
“Nicole Kidman responds to Chris Rock and Will Smith’s fight at the Oscars. Underneath the photo, one fan wrote: ‘A NEW MEME IS BORN.’
“Nicole Kidman and her husband [Keith Urban] have a front row seat watching Will Smith slap the s— out of Chris Rock #Oscars#Oscars2022,” another person said.
Third: “Nicole Kidman should have won an Oscar for her response to the Will Smith Slap.”
In the words of another: “Will Smith punched Chris Rock so hard he broke Nicole Kidman’s botox.”
Smith urged Rock to “not put my wife’s name out of your mouth,” and Lupita Nyong’o, who was sitting behind him, quickly turned into a meme as well.
A fan shared the video along with the caption: “Lupita Nyongo is slowly realizing it’s not a bit and Will is pissed #Oscars2022.”
Lupita Nyongo experienced the full spectrum of emotions while watching Will Smith’s movie while sitting down. Another commenter said: “She had about 8 completely different emotions in 5 seconds.”
The crowd gasped when Smith entered the room and punched Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith, 50, who starred in “G.I. Jane 2,” making fun of her alopecia.
The “King Richard” actor later expressed regret for his actions to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his Best Actor acceptance speech. On the other hand, during the awards ceremony, he and Rock reportedly patched things up.
At the Vanity Fair after-party, Sean “Diddy” Combs confirmed to Page Six that Rock and Smith have made things right.
“It’s not a problem. It’s all done for now. Fifty-two-year-old Diddy said of the two, ‘I can attest to that,’ referring to them as ‘brothers.’
The incident served as a reminder of how easy it is to lose context in an age of viral content and how quickly misinformation can permeate the online space. However, it provided plenty of entertainment for fans, sparking creativity and humor in the form of memes and comments about the Oscar slapping incident.