HOLLYWOOD OUTCASTS

LONG BEFORE HIS OSCAR-NIGHT VIOLENCE WILL AND JADA PINKETT SMITH HAD ALREADY ALIENATED THEIR TINSELTOWN COLLEAGUES WITH ENTITLED BEHAVIOR AND TMI TALK.

“Will thinks he's a bigger star than Tom Cruise.” - a source tells Star

A video posted on TikTok five days after the 94th Annual Academy Awards perfectly encapsulated Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's above-the-law attitude: The camera-phone footage, shot from behind the couple's front-row seats in L.A.'s Dolby theater March 27, showed the King Richard star marching onstage to smack presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada's shaved head in what has become one of Oscar's most shocking and talked-about moments. The kicker: As the rattled Chris tried to regain his composure, Jada, 50, could be seen doubled-over in laughter. “They don't feel Will did anything wrong,” says a source of the incident, which made headlines and divided fans and fellow celebrities.

The secret is out. For years the A-list couple have antagonized others in the industry, whether by beefing with costars and directors or their self-seriousness about their open marriage and self-promotion of kids Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21. This was not even the first time Will, 53, reacted to a joke with violence! "Will is beloved by legions of fans who go to see his movies, and Jada has a loyal following with her chat show, Red Table Talk, but the same cannot be said about people in the industry," an insider tells Star. The outspoken pair, wed for 24 years (Will shares son Trey with ex-wife Sheree Zampino), have made more than a few enemies over the years, and that list just got a lot longer. “Their peers can't stand Will and Jada," adds the source. “The slap ordeal has only served to deepen the disdain."

Rock and a Hard Place