What happened at the Oscars last night?

What happened at the Oscars last night? Where to begin... (Getty)
What happened at the Oscars last night? Where to begin... (Getty)

Last night Hollywood played host to the 94th Academy Awards, and it will forever be known as the Oscars where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock live on television for insulting his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

But that wasn't all that happened on the night.

Here's your rundown of what happened at the Oscars last night.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock

The night was going fairly smoothly — some might say blandly — until comedian Chris Rock stepped up on stage to announce the winner of Best Documentary.

Spotting his Madagascar co-star Pinkett Smith in the front row of seats with her shaven head, Rock quipped “Jada, can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2”, prompting the actress to roll her eyes.

Her husband also seemed to enjoy the joke, but then he stormed the stage and smacked Rock straight in the face with an open-handed slap.

Read more: LAPD not investigating altercation at Oscars

While Smith returned to his Rock responded by saying: "Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."

Smith responded by shouting back at him: "Take my wife's name out of your mouth."

Will Smith won Best Actor and tearfully apologised

TOPSHOT - US actor Will Smith accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for
Will Smith accepts the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for King Richard. (AFP via Getty Images)

Just moments after he walloped Rock, Smith was announced as the winner of the Best Actor Oscars for his performance in King Richard.

Read more: Rock's joke about Jada in 2016 resurfaces

It's the 53-year-old actor's first ever Oscar win, and he took a moment to thank the father of Venus and Serena Williams in his speech before apologising to the Academy for his actions. But he didn't apologise to Rock.

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair)
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. (VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair)

He's since been photographed clutching his award, dancing and rapping along to Gettin' Jiggy Wit It at an Oscars after party.

Oscars history was made

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: In this handout photo provided by A.M.P.A.S., Director Jane Campion with the award for Best Director for
Director Jane Campion with the award for Best Director for The Power of the Dog. (A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)

The 2022 Oscars set new records for diversity and representation, besides giving long-awaited recognition for two big-screen veterans. Highlights include:

First back-to-back wins by female directors: Jane Campion’s award for best director, for the tense Western drama The Power of the Dog, comes just a year after Chloe Zhao’s victory with the film Nomadland.

Read more: Full list of Oscar winners

It represents the first back-to-back wins by women in this category since the Oscars began in 1929.

First win for a male deaf actor: Troy Kotsur is the first male deaf performer to win an Oscar, having being named best supporting actor for his role in the film Coda.

HOLLYWOOD, CA - March 27, 2022. Ariana DeBose, winner of the Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for West Side Story,
Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur and Jessica Chastain celebrate their Oscar wins. (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

It is only the second time a deaf performer has won an Academy Award for acting, coming 35 years after Marlee Matlin was named best actress for Children Of A Lesser God.

First ‘character’ to twice win best supporting actress: In 1962, Rita Moreno won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Anita in the original film adaptation of the musical West Side Story.

Exactly 60 years later, Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress for playing the same role – Anita – in Steven Spielberg’s new version of the same film.

First streaming service to win best film: Apple TV+ is the first streaming service to receive an Oscar for best film, winning for Coda.

The company beat off strong competition from Netflix, which had two movies up for the award, The Power of the Dog and Don’t Look Up.

Watch: 'We Don't Talk About Bruno'

It may not have been nominated for Best Original Song, but Encanto hit We Don't Talk About Bruno didn't need Academy recognition to cement its place in cinema history.

The cast of the Disney animation were joined at the Oscars by Megan Thee Stallion for the first ever live performance of the global hit, and it was a real moment.

The Grammy award-winner took to the stage with stars of the Oscar-winning Disney film including Stephanie Beatriz, Carolina Gaitan, Diane Guerrero, and Mauro Castillo. Also part of the ensemble were musicians Luis Fonsi, best known for his single Despacito, and Becky G.

THE OSCARS®  The 94th Oscars® aired live Sunday March 27, from the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT on ABC in more than 200 territories worldwide. (ABC via Getty Images)
MEGAN THEE STALLION
Megan Thee Stallion joined the cast of Encanto on stage at the Oscars. (ABC via Getty Images)

The 27-year-old was flanked at one point during the performance by stars Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet, who clapped along to the verse.

Zendaya, who stars in Oscar-winning Dune, even received a mention by Megan, along with co-hosts Amy Schumer, Regina Hall, and Wanda Sykes.

“Magic everywhere, stars everywhere… Zendaya over there. Oh no, we got three hoes, these women are the best and they (are) killing all the jokes,” she rapped.

“So many nominees, all of them are nervous. I’ve seen all the envelopes way behind the curtains.”

Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose celebrated being an 'openly queer woman of colour'

LOS ANGELES, USA - MARCH 27, 2022: Ariana DeBose poses in the press room inside the Dolby Theater during the 94th Academy Awards in Los Angeles, USA. (Photo credit should read P. Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Ariana DeBose poses in the press room inside the Dolby Theater during the 94th Academy Awards. (P. Lehman/Future Publishing via Getty Images)

West Side Story star Ariana DeBose spoke of her pride of being an “openly queer woman of colour” as she won the best supporting actress Oscar.

The star, 31, collected her gong dressed in red Valentino trousers and a crop top and said her win was proof that “dreams do come true”.

DeBose won the Oscar for her performance as Anita in the classic musical, 60 years after her predecessor in the role, Rita Moreno, earned the statue herself.

No Time To Die for James Bond

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: Billie Eilish and Rami Malek attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2022 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair)
Billie Eilish and Rami Malek attend the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. (VF22/WireImage for Vanity Fair)

The James Bond franchise enjoyed a night to remember at the 2022 Oscars.

The show broadcast a special tribute to the spy series in recognition of its 60th anniversary, and then to top it off Billie Eilish and brother Finneas O'Connell won a landmark Oscar for Bond.

Their song No Time To Die became the third Bond theme song in a row to win the Oscar for Best Original Song following Adele and Sam Smith's victories in 2013 and 2016.

Timothée Chalamet turned heads before the show began

US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
US-French actor Timothee Chalamet attends the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. (AFP via Getty Images)

Timothée Chalamet sent social media into a tailspin when he arrived on the red carpet at the Oscars wearing a suit jacket without a shirt underneath.

The 26-year-old star is at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles as part of the team behind sci-fi blockbuster Dune, which won six awards on the night.

He arrived on the carpet and immediately sent Twitter buzzing with his look, in which he paired a custom black blazer from Louis Vuitton with an attention-grabbing bare chest.

Fans were quick to compare Chalamet's unique style to One Direction star Harry Styles, who has won plaudits for his bold fashion choices, as well as — perhaps more surprisingly — A-ha frontman Morten Harket.

Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli: A formidable double act

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 27: (L-R) Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli speak onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli speak onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Liza Minnelli made a rare appearance to present Best Picture at the Oscars alongside Lady Gaga.

The 76-year-old star of stage and screen appeared on stage in a wheelchair and delivered an introduction to the Best Picture nominees, declaring she was Gaga's "biggest fan".

The star appeared to struggle with her words as she introduced the category, but Gaga whispered "I've got you" and guided her back on track to announce the winner...

Coda won Best Picture

HOLLYWOOD, CA - March 27, 2022.   The cast and producers of Coda
The cast and producers of Coda accept the award for Best Picture. (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

After the closest Best Picture race in recent history, Sian Heder's drama Coda scooped the top prize.

The pioneering family drama went from a low budget festival film to best picture at the Oscars, marking a milestone as AppleTV+ becomes the first-ever streamer to win the award.

The film, adapted by Heder as an English-language remake of the 2014 French-language film La Famille Belier, also won the best adapted screenplay Oscar, and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur.