“Did I miss anything?” quipped Oscars co-host Amy Schumer, returning to the Dolby Theatre stage after a break. “There’s a different vibe in here.”

Oh my, was there ever.

With a sudden, shocking outburst of anger from actor Will Smith, who bounded onstage to slap Chris Rock after the comedian joked about his wife’s appearance, the theater was thrown into a state of deeply uncomfortable shock.

“Did we just see that?” people said to each other, as realization grew that the outburst was not pre-planned or meant as a joke. Phones buzzed, too, with many audience members saying they were getting texts from friends or family watching at home, asking if they had seen what they thought they did.

The discomfort continued through the end of the show, even as a tearful Smith, as expected, won the best actor prize for “King Richard” and apologized to the academy, though not to Rock.