Chris Rock SAVED the Oscars with his 'grace and aplomb' and allowed the 'show to go on'

Oscars producer Will Packer has spoken out about how Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock threw Sunday's ceremony into chaos, saying that Rock's composure rescued the show.

'It was like somebody poured concrete in that room,' Packer told Good Morning America of the moment Smith stunned the world by storming on stage and smacking Rock over an ad-libbed joke about the actor's wife.

'It sucked the life out of that room and it never came back,' he recalled, saying that the audience was left wondering, 'Is this real? How am I supposed to react?'

Asked whether Rock saved the show with his composed reaction, Packer responded: 'I think he did. He certainly saved what was left of that night.'