This Photo Does Not Show Nicole Kidman’s Reaction to the Slap
The Claim
A photo depicts Nicole Kidman’s reaction after Will Smith got on stage and slapped Chris Rock.
News posted on
Emerging story
The photo of the American-Australian actress Nicole Kidman, with a surprised expression on her face, has gone viral on social media. The photo, according to users, depicts Kidman’s reaction after Will Smith got on stage and slapped Chris Rock in response to the joke the latter made about Jada Pinkett Smith during the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading, as the photo does not show Nicole Kidman reacting to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock.
Using Google Image Reverse Search, we discovered that the photo was uploaded to the Getty Images store with the caption "US-Australian actress Nicole Kidman attends the 94th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on March 27, 2022," with no mention of the slap.
The picture was also circulating online at least 26 minutes before the televised portion of the event.
Using keywords, we discovered that other users had posted Nicole Kidman's photos and stated that the image depicted the actress's reaction to Jessica Chastain walking into the room. Nicole Kidman's excitement to meet Jessica Chastain was captured in the photographs taken during the non-televised portion of the event.
