Jada Pinkett Smith shares her insight into Will Smith’s Oscar slap
Jada Pinkett Smith has shared her own insight into the night Will Smith slapped Oscars host Chris Rock.
During last year’s Academy Awards ceremony, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star walked on stage and slapped the comedian, after jokes were made about Jada’s alopecia hair loss.
Now, almost two years after the monumental moment, the Madagascar actress has addressed how she felt as it was happening.
Jada recently took part in an interview with NBC News, to promote her upcoming memoir, Worthy.
During the conversation, interviewer Hoda Kotb noted that Jada appeared bothered by Chris’ jokes about her, as she was seen rolling her eyes.
“I did that eye roll not so much for me – and I think this is really important – but the fact that there could be a jab at alopecia,” the 52-year-old explained.
Before Will left his seat to slap Chris on stage, the cameras followed a brief interaction between the pair, which included the Aladdin actor shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
Recalling the tense moment, Jada confessed that she felt baffled, not by Chris’ jokes, but by Will referring to her as his ‘wife’. The Red Table Talk presenter revealed earlier in her interview that she has been separated from Will since 2016, and that they were “not ready yet” to announce it at the time of the Oscars.
“First of all, I’m really shocked, because mind you, I’m not there. We haven’t called each other husband and wife in a long time,” she detailed.
“I’m really worried for Will because I don’t know what’s going on,” she added, as she thought back to that night.
Although they are now living “completely separate lives,” Jada confirmed that she will not be seeking a divorce from Will.
“I made a promise that there will never be a reason for us to get a divorce. We will work through… whatever. I just haven’t been able to break that promise,” she concluded.
