minutes earlier, he had strolled onto the same stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face, in what was apparently an entirely unscripted moment.

Rock had made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her shaved head making her the perfect candidate for “G.I. Jane 2.” After the joke, Smith walked up to Rock and smacked him before sitting back down and shouting, “Keep my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!”

The incident shocked both the in-person Oscars audience and crowds watching at home. Within seconds, the slap was trending on Twitter. After he was announced as the Best Actor winner of the evening, Smith addressed the moment indirectly during his speech, claiming himself a “protector” of his family, similar to the character he plays in King Richard.

“Richard Williams, um, was a fierce defender of his family,” he said. Later, Smith added, “I know, to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse, you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you, in this business you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's okay.”

Read the full speech transcript below.

“Richard Williams, um, was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the most strongest, most delicate people I've ever met. I got to protect Saniyya and Demi, the two actresses that played Venus and Serena. I'm being called on in my life to love people, and to protect people. And to be a river to my people. I know, to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse, you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you, in this business you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that's okay. But Richard Williams—and what I loved—Denzel said to me a few minutes ago, he said, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, because that’s when the devil comes for you.’ It's like...I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say, thank you to Venus and to Serena and the entire Williams family. That's what I want to do; I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern. I want to apologize to the Academy; I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. Um, this is a beautiful moment. And I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me; it's about being able to shine a light on all the people [in the cast]...Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things. To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but I tribute to my mother...I hope the Academy invites me back. Thank you.”