These 9 States Back Will Smith Over Chris Rock on Oscars Clash: Research

As Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at Sunday's Oscars continues to be a hot topic of conversation in Hollywood, it would appear that it also captivated everyday Americans—with clear lines drawn between states.

In a move that overshadowed the ceremony, Smith went onstage and struck Rock across the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's close-cropped haircut. Pinkett Smith has spoken of losing her hair because of alopecia.

Amid the ensuing discussions and debates, sports gambling company BetOnline has released a map which shows that while an overwhelming majority of states support Rock, there are nine that are rallying behind Smith.

BetOnline analyzed more than 200,000 tweets that included the hashtags #TeamChris, #TeamChrisRock, #TeamWill, and TeamWillSmith to see where sections of the country fell in terms of support for Rock and Smith.

It found that 41 states stood in support of Rock, but that Smith was backed by the residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Mississippi emerged as the state leading that pack, with 75.4 percent of its residents who tweeted on the matter speaking in support of Smith, per Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV.

When it comes to the states supporting Rock, Maine topped that side of the argument, with 98.2 percent of the state's relevant tweets hailing the comedian.

During Sunday night's Oscars, Rock quipped: "Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see ya," in reference to the 1997 film G.I. Jane, in which Demi Moore's titular character shaves her head to join U.S. Navy SEAL training.

After initially laughing at the joke, Smith, whose wife was visibly unimpressed, got up and slapped Rock.

Once he returned to his seat, which was front and center at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, Smith twice yelled: "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth."

Several minutes after the slap, Smith returned to the stage to accept a Best Actor Academy Award for his efforts in King Richard. During his acceptance speech, a tearful Smith apologized for his actions to his fellow nominees and the Academy.

Smith issued a public apology to Rock via Instagram on Monday, writing: "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be."

On Wednesday night, Rock was greeted by a standing ovation when he appeared at his sold-out show in Boston and publicly spoke out about the incident for the first time.

"I had written a whole show before this weekend. I'm still processing what happened, so at some point I'll talk about that s***," Rock said.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which governs the Oscars, has claimed that Smith was asked to leave Sunday's star-studded event after slapping Rock but he "refused" to leave.

"The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy's Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy," the organization said in a statement.

The Academy said disciplinary action against Smith could include suspension, expulsion or other sanctions.

"Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated," the Academy said. "While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently."

A representative with the Academy said Smith has been given the opportunity to defend himself from repercussions in the form of a written response before the board meets again on April 18.

The Academy also apologized to Rock on Wednesday, saying in its statement: "Mr. Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television.

"Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event."

Following the incident, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement that Rock had declined to press charges against Smith.