Will Smith probably thought it was safe to bitch slap Chris Rock because no one was watching.
The last Oscar show I watched was, I think, 1973. It was the one where David Niven was speaking and a guy, sans clothing, (this was during the streaking fad)ran in front of the live camera. Niven than quipped, “There’s a fellow showing his shortcomings”, or something like that.
I always thought it was a set-up, planned in advance, because the camera only showed the guy from the waist up.
LOL!