The 7 best (and worst) Oscar moments, including Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, Beyoncé's 'Be Alive'

Hollywood's biggest night returned with stars, spectacle and plenty of surprises.

The Oscars came back swinging Sunday to Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre, after last year's scaled-down ceremony amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes earned fair reviews for their joint hosting work – coming off three years of ceremonies that had no host – while the Academy's decision to broadcast fan-voted "awards" to popcorn flicks was roundly mocked on Twitter. (Seriously, what does "The Flash Enters the Speed Force" even mean?)

"Dune" led the night with the most wins: six, including best cinematography and best score. "CODA" triumphed in the best picture category, after a neck-and-neck race with "The Power of the Dog," which took only one award, for best director (Jane Campion). But all eyes were on Chris Rock and Will Smith's onstage rift.

Here are more of the most shocking, poignant and downright delightful moments from the 2022 Oscars:

'This is just a wild night': Social media is stunned about Will Smith smacking Chris Rock

Chris Rock gets slapped by Will Smith after making a harsh joke about Jada Pinkett Smith

The moment everyone will be talking about from the Oscars for months to come: While introducing the award for best documentary feature (won by Questlove's "Summer of Soul"), Chris Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia and was rocking a shaved head at the event.

"Jada, I love you; 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it," Rock quipped, as Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes in response. Smith proceeded to storm on stage and smack Rock, and was seen mouthing "Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth." Rock was visibly startled by the altercation, but still wisecracked, "That was the greatest night in the history of television."

Will Smith tearfully apologizes to the Academy, fellow nominees during an uncomfortable best actor speech

Anticipation was high for the announcement of the best actor award, which Smith was expected to win. Smith was tearful and anxious throughout the fraught speech, which should have been a joyous moment.

“I want to apologize to the Academy," Smith said, not long after his heated encounter with Rock. "I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people."

Smith thanked the real-life Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, whom he portrays in the film "King Richard." His speech emphasized Richard's role as a protector of his family, as he not so subtly drew parallels between his life and Richard's.

"I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people," Smith said. "I know to do what we do, you've got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that’s OK."

'Love will make you do crazy things': Will Smith apologizes to Oscars after hitting Chris Rock onstage

Beyoncé opens the Oscars with a rousing tennis-themed performance of 'Be Alive' in Compton

The Dolby stage simply can't contain the supernova that is Beyoncé, who in typically extravagant fashion, spilled her performance of Oscar-nominated original song "Be Alive" into the city of Los Angeles. Draped in diamonds and a feathered dress, the pop star opened the ceremony with her inspiring "King Richard" anthem, strutting across a sprawling lime-green tennis court and backed by dozens of dancers and musicians clad in similar shades of green.

Troy Kotsur makes history, pays heartbreaking tribute to his dad

On a night of emotional speeches from acting winners Smith and Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story"), Kotsur stood out with his heart-wrenching tribute to his father, as the "CODA" star accepted the best supporting actor award. Kotsur, an Arizona native – who is the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar – spoke through an American Sign Language interpreter, who could be heard choking up just off screen.

“My dad, he was the best signer in our family, but he was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down and he no longer was able to sign," Kotsur said. "Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you. You are my hero."

Kotsur also earned laughs as he recounted a recent trip to the White House with his "CODA" castmates, where they met President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden.

“I was planning on teaching them some dirty sign language, but (co-star) Marlee Matlin told me to behave myself," he joked. "So don’t worry, Marlee, I won’t drop any ‘F’ bombs in my speech today."

'A place for us': Why Ariana DeBose's Oscar win is a major victory for LGBTQ community

Lady Gaga tells Liza Minnelli 'I got you' while presenting best picture

In what will easily go down as the sweetest moment of the night, Gaga accompanied Minnelli in presenting the last award of the show – the best picture Oscar – to "CODA."

"The public, they love you," Gaga said to Minnelli, 76, who was in a wheelchair. The Oscar-winning "Cabaret" actress at one point seemed to struggle to read her lines on the teleprompter, when Gaga, 36, leaned over to her and said, "I got you."

"I know," Minnelli responded warmly. Gaga's comforting gesture received widespread praise on social media, with users praising her "gentleness" and "respect" for Minnelli.

Amy Schumer takes aim at Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar movies

After an awkward and occasionally funny monologue split between the three hosts, Schumer came on stage early in the show for a short solo set in which she ruthlessly roasted this year's nominated movies. Regarding tennis drama "King Richard," Schumer joked, "After years of Hollywood ignoring women’s stories, this year we finally got a movie about the incredible Williams sisters' ... dad." Moments later, she took a jab at the critically derided "Don't Look Up," a best picture nominee: "I guess the Academy members don’t look up reviews."

She also earned shocked laughter with a dig at "Being the Ricardos," a Lucille Ball biopic "without even a moment that’s funny," Schumer said, as the camera cut away to smiling "Ricardos" stars Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem. But she reserved her sharpest jab for Leonardo DiCaprio, deadpanning, "He’s done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends. Because he’s older. And they’re younger. OK, you get it."

Megan Thee Stallion raps about 'Bruno' in surprise appearance

Just when you thought you've heard all there is of "We Don't Talk About Bruno" – the hit track from Disney's animated "Encanto" that spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart – rapper Megan Thee Stallion brought a fresh spin to the song at Sunday's show. The Grammy-winning best new artist made a surprise appearance during the first live performance of the song with a brand new verse, as singers Becky G and Luis Fonsi also hopped on the unconventional remix, which left many fans confused with its Oscar-themed lyrics.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oscars best, worst moments: Will Smith hits Chris Rock, Beyonce sings