Featured Image Credit: @willowsmith/Instagram / REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Celebrity, Will Smith, Chris Rock, Oscars
Anna Verdon
Topics: Celebrity, Will Smith, Chris Rock, Oscars
Willow Smith has addressed her dad’s outburst at the Oscars after he slapped comedian Chris Rock.
In the now-infamous moment, Will Smith stormed the stage of the 94th Academy Awards after Rock made a joke about his wife’s alopecia.
During a quip in reference to Jada Pinkett Smith, he said: “Jada, I love you – G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it!" – in a nod to Demi Moore's 1997 film G.I. Jane, which saw the lead actor shave her head for the role.
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Pinkett Smith looked notably irked by the jibe and moments later, Smith strode onto the stage and slapped Rock in the face.
Heading back to his seat he shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth."
In a statement at the time, he said: "My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.
"The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.”
The Academy Awards also announced it has banned Smith from returning to its events for the next 10 years.
Smith's daughter Willow has since spoken out about the incident, with her reaction coming several months after the incident.
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Speaking to Billboard she said: “I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness.
“Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.”
She also added that the incident didn’t derail her creativity or 'rock me as much as my own internal demons'.
However, some are confused about what the star had to say.
Writing on social media, one person said: “oh please......most humans don't go around slapping people...no excuse...”
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While another wrote: “Please dear. We are humans too but we don’t slap people on television. We still have manners and respect at least.”
Last month, Will Smith also publicly apologised for the incident in a video posted to YouTube.
He said he’d tried to reach out to the comedian to apologise for his actions, but Rock’s team told him he ‘wasn’t ready to talk’.
In the video, Smith said: "It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.
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"There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults."
He also hit back at claims that Jada asked him to do something that night, saying: “I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris.
"Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe. I wanna say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us."