Will Smith Talks ‘Horrific’ Oscars Slap in First Late Night Interview Since Incident: ‘That Is Not Who I Want to Be’



By Charisma Madarang

After shocking audiences by slapping comic Chris Rock astatine immoderate constituent of a unrecorded broadcast of the Academy Awards, Will Smith again to past due-night tv connected Monday and sat down with Trevor Noah connected The Daily Show.

The interrogation comes 8 months aft the Oscars contention and a bid of on-line statements concerning the incident. When Noah asked Smith astir his acquisition pursuing the infamous moment, Smith stated it go a “awful night.”

“There’s galore nuances and complexities to it. But astatine the halt of the day, I conscionable — I mislaid it, you already know?” the histrion persisted. “I go going thru thing that nighttime time, you recognize? Not that that justifies my behaviour successful immoderate respect. It turned into a batch of factors. It was the small lad that watched his begetter bushed up his mom, you already know? All of that conscionable bubbled up successful that moment. That is not who I request to be.”

Smith, who received an Oscar for excellent histrion for his portrayal of Richard Williams successful King Richard simply minutes aft the incident, besides told the host, “I stake the contented that was astir achy for maine is, I took my hard and made it hard for different people.” When talking astir what helium learned wrong the months after, helium besides said, “I understood the thought erstwhile they accidental wounded humans harm people.”

Noah, who is leaving the displayat the springiness up of consequent week, provided his idiosyncratic cognition astatine the controversy.

“I emotion Chris. I’m friends with him. I emotion you, nevertheless that is fucked up. I cognize that arsenic Black quality beings, Black humans get unneurotic and go, ‘What was Will doing? What the hellhole took place?’ Noah stated. “A batch of Black radical were like, ‘He request to spell to jail.’ Like, you request to unbend your self.”

Smith besides shared a non-public anecdote pursuing that night.