Will Smith Gives Detailed Explanation Of Chris Rock Slap At The Oscars In First TV Interview

Will Smith has briefly talked about the shocking Oscars slap of Chris Rock on his YouTube channel. He apologized to Rock for his actions and seemed genuinely remorseful, but as far as we know, Rock has refused to accept his apology.

And now, Smith is opening up even more. In his first interview on late-night television since the infamous slap, the 54-year-old Oscar winner talked with Trevor Noah about that fateful night.

That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. You know, there’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just, I lost it, you know? And I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through. In the audience right now, you are sitting next to strangers, and somebody’s mother died last week, somebody’s child is sick, somebody just lost their job, somebody just found out their spouse cheated. You just don’t know what is going on with people. And I was going through something that night. Not that that justifies my behavior at all.

We see this all the time. People flip someone off in traffic and then that person pulls out a gun and shoots them. You never know who you’re dealing with, so it’s best to proceed with caution.

Smith said he had anger bottled up inside him, even dating back to his childhood when his father would beat up his mother.

He started to cry a little when he remembered his 9-year-old nephew asking about the slap.

He is the sweetest little boy. … We came home, and it’s like, 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?’

Noah asked Smith what he has learned in the months following the slap, and Smith said simply, “Hurt people hurt people.”

He also added that we all need to be nicer to one another. This life ain’t easy for anybody.