TV & Showbiz

Will Smith wipes away tears in first interview since Chris Rock Oscars slap

His nine-year-old nephew asked him 'Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?'

Daisy Jackson - 29th November 2022

Will Smith has finally done his first interview since the infamous Oscars moment that saw him slap Chris Rock across the face on stage.

The actor – who went on to win an Academy Award for King Richard that same night – chose to speak to Trevor Noah on The Daily Show last night.

Will has kept quite a low profile since The Slap, but will return to our screens soon in new AppleTV film Emancipation.

In his interview, he said he had a lot of ‘bottled rage’ which exploded in a very public setting after comedian Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head.

Will got visibly emotional when discussing his nephew’s reaction.

He said: “My nephew is nine. He is the sweetest little boy.

“We came home. He had stayed up late to see his uncle Will and we are sitting in my kitchen and he is on my lap and he is holding the Oscar and he is just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’”

He then took out his tissues and said: “Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?”

“I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” Smith said.

Will then explained: “{It was a lot of things, it was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That’s not who I want to be…”

He also said: “There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just – I lost it, you know.

“I guess what I would say is that you just never know what somebody’s going through. I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behaviour at all.”

Flash back to March and the week of the Oscars, and the award ceremony host Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia, comparing her shaved head to GI Jane.

The joke didn’t go down well with the couple, needless to say, with Smith hopping up on stage to deliver a firm slap across Rock’s face.

He was later heard shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth” while Hollywood’s elite looked on in shock.

His full statement at the time said: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.

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“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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.  

“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.

“I am a work in progress.

“Sincerely, Will.”

Featured image: Comedy Central