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Nicole Kidman's Oscars Reaction Is Meme Of The Night – But It's Not What It Looks Like

Although the photo lit up Twitter, there was more to the story.
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Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday.
Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Will Smith’s apparent slap at Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night took over Twitter, with jokes, outrage and memes. But one image that was celebrated as the ultimate reaction to the moment isn’t what it appears to be: Best Actress nominee Nicole Kidman, looking on in apparent shock: 

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Nicole Kidman at the 94th Oscars on Sunday.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Turns out the viral image was actually snapped much earlier in the evening. Reuters photographers snapped a similar moment and noted that it was from before the show even began:

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Here's a slightly different angle.
Brian Snyder via Reuters

Footage from around the time of the attack shows Nicole was wearing husband Keith Urban’s jacket. 

While the viral Nicole image didn’t feature her reaction to Will Smith, it will no doubt take its place in the pantheon of memes used as a reaction to anything and everything. 

After all, Nicole’s been there before:

Oscars 2022: All The Red Carpet Snaps You Need To See
Nicole Kidman(01 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actress (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Ariana DeBose(02 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Kodi Smit-McPhee(03 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Jessica Chastain(04 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actress (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith(05 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actor (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Wanda Sykes(06 of71)
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Host (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Olivia Colman(07 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actress (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Billie Eilish(08 of71)
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Nominated: Best Original Song (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Kristen Stewart(09 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actress (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Venus and Serena Williams(10 of71)
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Nominated: Best Picture (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Kirsten Dunst(11 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Daniel Kaluuya(12 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Andrew Garfield(13 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actor (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Dame Judi Dench(14 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Jessie Buckley(15 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Aunjanue Ellis(16 of71)
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Best Supporting Actress (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Lupita Nyong'o(17 of71)
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Presenter (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter(18 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actor (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Regina Hall(19 of71)
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Host (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Penelope Cruz(20 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actress (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Bradley Cooper and his mum Gloria Campano(21 of71)
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Nominated: Best Picture (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Lily James(22 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Tracee Ellis Ross(23 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Jason Momoa(24 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Rami Malek(25 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Amy Schumer(26 of71)
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Host (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Diane Warren(27 of71)
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Nominated: Best Original Song (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Denzel and Pauletta Washington(28 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actor (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Jesse Plemons(29 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Laverne Cox(30 of71)
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Red carpet presenter (credit:Jay L. Clendenin via Getty Images)
Jamie Lee Curtis(31 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Jay L. Clendenin via Getty Images)
Timothée Chalamet(32 of71)
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(credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Zendaya(33 of71)
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(credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Riz Ahmed and Fatima Farheen Mirza(34 of71)
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Nominated: Best Live-Action Short (credit:ABC via Getty Images)
Maggie Gyllenhaal(35 of71)
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Nominated: Best Adapted Screenplay (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Zoë Kravitz(36 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Javier Bardem(37 of71)
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Nominated: Best Actor (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Naomi Scott(38 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Elliot Page(39 of71)
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Presenter (credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
Ciarán Hinds(40 of71)
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Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Youn Yuh-jung(41 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker(42 of71)
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Performer (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Sebastián Yatra(43 of71)
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Performer (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Wesley Snipes(44 of71)
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Presenter (credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Chloe X Halle(45 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Uma Thurman(46 of71)
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Presenter (credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Sir Kenneth Branagh(47 of71)
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Nominated: Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay (credit:Momodu Mansaray via Getty Images)
Simu Liu(48 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
H.E.R.(49 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Reba McEntire(50 of71)
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Performer (credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Rachel Zegler(51 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Rosie Perez(52 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Rita Moreno(53 of71)
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(credit:via Associated Press)
Jennifer Garner(54 of71)
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(credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Jamie Dornan(55 of71)
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(credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Shawn Mendes(56 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Stephanie Beatriz(57 of71)
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Presenter and performer (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Vanessa Hudgens(58 of71)
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Red carpet presenter (credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Jake Gyllenhaal(59 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Momodu Mansaray via Getty Images)
Cynthia Erivo(60 of71)
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(credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Megan Thee Stallion(61 of71)
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(credit:ANGELA WEISS via Getty Images)
David Oyelowo(62 of71)
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(credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Haim(63 of71)
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(credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Saniyya Sidney(64 of71)
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(credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Demi Singleton(65 of71)
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(credit:David Livingston via Getty Images)
Queen Latifah(66 of71)
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(credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Lena Waithe(67 of71)
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(credit:Mike Coppola via Getty Images)
Niecy Nash(68 of71)
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(credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
DJ D-Nice(69 of71)
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Performer (credit:Jeff Kravitz via Getty Images)
Ruth E Carter(70 of71)
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Presenter (credit:Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)
Nyle DiMarco(71 of71)
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(credit:Emma McIntyre via Getty Images)
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