Will Smith has once again reflected on that infamous slap from this year's Academy Awards ceremony, where he took home his first-ever Best Actor gong.
On that fateful night, host and comedian Chris Rock, 57, made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, and her shaved head, which led husband Will, 54, to storm the stage and slap him across the left cheek.
Inside Hollywood's Dolby Theatre, a palpable sense of unease immediately drifted out amongst the fellow A-listers, with the King Richard star then sitting back down and shouting profanities at Chris.
Joining The Daily Show's Trevor Noah to promote his new film Emancipation yesterday, a teary-eyed Will revealed he was "going through something" at the time.
"It felt like this was Will Smith for the first time going, 'OK, is this how you want me to respond or not?'" Trevor, 38, began.
Will replied: "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…"
Interjecting, the host made sure to point out: "That’s not who you are. I think everybody can make a mistake…" as the actor pulled out a tissue from his pocket.
"Now I’m crying for real," he laughed.
"That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. 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. I understand how shocking that was for people… I was gone.
"That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time," Will continued.
Back in July, the Fresh Prince of Bel Air icon broke his silence on slapgate via an apologetic homemade YouTube video.
“My behaviour was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk [Chris]. I want to apologise to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview [she] did, and that was one of the things I just didn’t realise," he told the camera.
"I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment… I want to apologise to Chris’ mother, I want to apologise to Chris’s family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man.
"This is probably irreparable. I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened in that moment. I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment."
READ MORE:
- Click here for today's top showbiz news
- Love Island star forced to deny he's had surgery as he looks unrecognisable after show
- Georgia Kousoulou insists 'I will be pregnant next year’ after Tommy near-split
- To read the very best of today's OK! content from breaking news to Royals and TV – CLICK HERE
- Kerry Katona ‘thought she was going to die’ after chest and throat became 'swollen'
Source: Read Full Article
