One of the highlights of the Oscar ceremony, 2022, was, unfortunately, Will Smith’s physical attack on Chris Rock. Now, while celebrities are generally on their best behaviour when they are in public places but at times, emotions get the better of them and things get out of control. There have also been instances of them being attacked by people known/unknown. Here are 10 instances of the same.

1. Will Smith hitting Chris Rock on the Oscar stage.

Personally, I did not appreciate Chris’ joke on Jada, but to hit him was also not the right thing to do. This was wrong in many ways, including the fact that a man would get so riled up about a comment on his wife, he’d take away her agency to react to the comment in a way she wishes to. Men need to stop taking pride in “saving” women, they are fully capable of doing it on their own. 

2. When Harbhajan Singh slapped Sreesanth during IPL, 2008.

One of the most enduring images from the Indian Premier League is an unfortunate one. That of a crying Sreesanth holding his cheek after Harbhajan’s attack. Apparently, Sachin asked the two to reconcile and they did exactly that. Recently, Harbhajan congratulated Sreesanth on his career after the latter announced his retirement from cricket.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo slaps Ireland’s defender.

Funny that women get labelled “too emotional” for a slightly exaggerated celebration while men can go and hit someone from the opposite team and people actually find it hilarious. Ronaldo hit Dara O’Shea during Portugal’s World Cup qualifier in 2021.

4. When Justin Bieber hit the paparazzi in 2013.

It’s true that the paparazzi get way too intrusive with celebrities but hitting them cannot be encouraged. Bieber was 19 at this point, and got angry with the reporters standing outside his hotel in London. 

5. When an unknown person slapped Gauahar Khan on the set of India’s Raw Star.

This raises questions about the safety of the celebrities in these situations, as it should not be possible for a man to just walk up to someone and hit them. Gauahar was understandably shaken and held her face in disbelief.

6. Akshay Kumar gets attacked by a violent ‘fan’.

Akshay Kumar was attending an event where he was surrounded by a huge group of people. One of them grabbed his head and put the phone in front to take a selfie. Akshay was seen removing the person’s hand in anger. He also warned him not to do anything like this again.

7. French President Emmanuel Macron gets slapped while attending a meet-and-greet.

The president was visiting the South-East of France when he was hit by an unruly person in the crowd. He later said, “We must not let ultra-violent people take over the public debate: they do not deserve it”.

8. When Rakhi Sawant slapped her boyfriend Abhishek Awasthi.

After an alleged fight between the couple, Abhishek knelt before Rakhi with a bouquet of flowers. But the actor simply stood there, listening to him with anger and proceeded to slap him across the face.

9. When Govinda slapped a fan on the set of Money Hai To Honey Hai.

After the incident, Govinda said, “Yes, I slapped him. The guy was trying to get too close to the girls. I felt that I had to take a stand”. 8 years later in 2016, the Supreme Court asked Govinda to apologise to the fan. He also had to give ₹5 lakhs as compensation.

10. Arvind Kejriwal gets slapped during a roadshow while campaigning.

In 2019, Arvind Kejriwal was hit by a dangerous man who climbed on the top of the vehicle Kejriwal was standing atop. The man was thereby dragged back by the crowd around the vehicle.

Things need to be resolved in the most peaceful manner possible in a given situation. Violence is never the answer.