Oscars 2022 made headlines not for who won what, but for a shocking incident – Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Now, a day after, Will Smith’s mother has also reacted to the incident and has said that she is surprised at it too.
As reported by ETimes, Smith’s mother Carolyn Smith spoke to a local Philadelphia news outlet and expressed shock over the incident. She mentioned that she has never seen her son reacting like this and that it was shocking for her too. “He is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime…I’ve never seen him do that,” she said.
For the unversed, it all started after Rock came on the stage to introduce the best documentary feature when he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, being in a sequel to ‘G.I. Jane’– seemingly a reference to her shaved head. This disappointed Will who got up from his seat and slapped Rock in front of the entire world. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****ng mouth,” he screamed. Chris then said, “Will Smith smacked the s*** out of me.”
Later, Will Smith was awarded the Best Actor award for his performance as Richard Williams in King Richard. During the acceptance speech, he broke down and apologized to the Academy for his behaviour. “I want to apologize to the Academy, 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 the people..the entire cast and crew of King Richard,” he had said.
The actor also issued a public apology later saying his behaviour was “unacceptable”. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith had written in an Instagram post Monday.
“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,” Smith added.
