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.
Will Smith and Lupita N’yongo at the Oscars this year.:
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.
“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
TV & Showbiz
Single Mancs wanted to take part in next series of Married At First Sight UK
Emily Sergeant
Okay, bold question time – would you marry a complete stranger?
If you (somehow) answered yes to that, then you’ll probably be keen to hear that hit Channel 4 reality show, Married at First Sight UK, is currently on the lookout for brave contestants to take part in the next series.
And you’ll probably be even keener to hear that casting directors are urging single Mancs to stick an application in… if they fancy it.
If you haven’t seen Married at First Sight yet, well then firstly, where have you been? And secondly, it’s a dating show like no other that sees singletons marry complete strangers in a social experiment – and it’s undoubtedly binge-worthy and extremely entertaining.
Married at First Sight UK has opened its casting for the next series / Credit: Channel 4
Contestants – who will not have met or had contact with each other until the wedding day – are matched up with their supposed ‘perfect match’, determined by a group of experts who use “scientific matchmaking methods”.
Once the contestants are married off, the camera follows them for five weeks to see whether the new relationship is a success or not.
Calling on singletons to put their faith in the matchmaking service, Channel 4 wrote in the casting announcement on the ‘Take Part’ section of its website: “If you are ready to swipe left to the dating apps and say ‘I do’ at the altar, then our experts are here to help you find the one.”
Channel 4 wants singletons to put their faith in the matchmaking service / Credit: Channel 4
Casting directors say singles of all ages, backgrounds, gender identities, and sexualities are ‘welcome to apply’ for the new series.
Fancy it then?
Applications are currently open for the next series, and to apply to the show, you just need to be over 18 years of age, live in the UK, and feel ready for marriage.
BBC is looking for messy Mancs who need to ‘sort their life out’ to take part in new series
Emily Sergeant
Do you need to sort your life out?
We get that this may sound like a pretty brutal and upfront question to ask, but don’t shoot the messenger, it’s technically the BBC asking it, as producers are currently on the hunt for messy people who could do with ‘sorting their life out’ to take part in the new series of one of its hit TV shows – and they’re encouraging Greater Manchester residents to apply.
While the title of the show may, quite literally, be Sort Your Life Out, we promise it’s not as harsh as it seems, as in reality, it’s just offering you a helping hand to tidy up.
That’s right, if you would you like your home to be totally transformed by none other than Stacey Solomon and her expert team, then through a life-changing declutter, supersize spring clean, and some ingenious carpentry solutions to top things off, you could bring some job back to where you live.
The BBC is looking for messy Mancs who need to ‘sort their life out’ to take part in new series / Credit: BBC | FreerangeStock
Stacey and her expert team of organising fanatics can help you let go of the things you don’t need, and streamline what you do.
Plus they’ll also help to create space-saving storage and put systems in place to save you time and money in the future.
“Whether you have a new baby on the way, want to run a business from home, find it hard to let go of sentimental items or just want to create calm in the chaos, we’d love to hear from you,” producers said in a casting call on the BBC website.
Does this process sounds like something you could benefit from then? Producers of the hit show are looking for families or shared households to take part in a potential future series.
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2022 
