Chris Rock also joked about Penélope Cruz: this is how Javier Bardem reacted

It doesn’t matter which movie was the big winner of the night; the only thing everyone is talking about is Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s alopecia, assuring her that he was dying to see her star in the sequel to G.I. Jane, the 1997 film for which Demi Moore shaved her head.

That moment overshadowed the rest of the anecdotes of the night, such as the fact that the couple was far from the only one who had to endure jokes at their expense during the Oscars. In fact, just before Chris mentioned Jada, he played a prank on Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem -who were nominated in the Best Actress and Best Actor categories- to ensure that the Spanish woman would not allow her husband to take a statuette and she did not, in addition to addressing Penelope as “Javier Bardem’s wife”, a comment that was branded sexist on social networks.

Oscar Awards 2022: Will Smith’s slap to Chris Rock and more moments of the night

“You know who has the hardest job tonight? Javier Bardem and his wife are nominated. If she loses, there’s no way he can win. Javier is praying for Will Smith to win. Please, my God!” Chris assured from the stage as the cameras focused on the couple.

Both Javier and Penelope knew how to take the joke with humor and laughed, although he more than she did.
Finally, the couple did not win the Oscar, It was Will Smith who took the statuette for the Best Actor category, while Jessica Chastain won the award in the Best Actress category.