Smith stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock's remarks after the comedian made a bald head joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has spoken about losing her hair due to the condition alopecia. 

The joke struck a nerve and Smith strode on stage and slapped Rock across the face.  Smith twice shouted for Rock to 'get my wife's name out your (expletive) mouth.' Within an hour, Smith won best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the academy.

After the show on Sunday night, the academy posted a statement on Twitter condemning violence, but did not name Smith.   

Some academy members, like writer-producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith.

'He disgraced our entire community tonight,' wrote Herskovitz on Twitter. 

Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy´s board of governors, said Monday on 'The View': 'We're not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I'm sure.'

A sense of disbelief hung in the air at the Dolby Theatre after Smith's assault, and it didn't dissipate Monday. 

Not only was it a hard-to-fathom break with decorum on live national television - an incident so dramatic, even movie-like, that many initially assumed it was a staged bit - it seemed wildly out of character for one of Hollywood's most relentlessly upbeat stars.