‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Cast Reacts to Will Smith’s 2022 Oscars Slap

Sharing their ideas. Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on the 2022 Oscars ignited a dialog — together with from the Philadelphia native’s The Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air costars.
In the course of the 94th annual Academy Awards on March 27, Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith the place he joked about her becoming a member of G.I. Jane 2. The Ladies Journey actress, who beforehand revealed that she has alopecia, rolled her eyes on the remark about her shaved head.
In response, her husband walked as much as the stage and slapped the comic. “Will Smith simply smacked the s—t out of me,” the South Carolina native mentioned in censored footage that later circulated on-line. The King Richard star returned to his seat whereas yelling at Rock a number of occasions to “preserve my spouse’s identify out your f—king mouth.”
After successful the award for greatest actor later that night time, Smith addressed the stunning scenario in his emotional acceptance speech. “I’m being referred to as on in my life to like folks and to guard folks and to be a river to my folks. I do know to do what we do, you bought to have the ability to take abuse,” he mentioned on the time. “You bought to have the ability to have folks speak loopy about you. On this enterprise you bought to have the ability to have folks disrespecting you. And you bought to smile, you bought to faux like that’s OK.”
The Suicide Squad actor additionally apologized to Rock straight on social media, writing through Instagram, “I used to be out of line and I used to be mistaken. I’m embarrassed and my actions weren’t indicative of the person I wish to be. There is no such thing as a place for violence in a world of affection and kindness.”
Pinkett Smith, for her half, seemingly reacted to the incident when she shared an Instagram quote, which learn, “This can be a season for therapeutic and I’m right here for it.”
Amid main backlash, Smith acquired help from his household and former forged members. Janet Hubert, who was beforehand in a feud with Smith, praised the I Am Legend actor for his accomplishment on the Oscars. “There’s solely a lot one can take … typically you need to slap again. Have a good time the win … nothing else issues,” she wrote through Instagram on March 28.
The social media help got here after Smith and Hubert mentioned their previous points through the Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air HBO Max particular.
“We by no means actually publicly speak about Janet and what occurred,” the Gemini Man star mentioned in November 2020 earlier than hugging the Chicago native who originated the function of Aunt Viv. “For me, it felt like I couldn’t have a good time 30 years of Contemporary Prince with out discovering a solution to have a good time Janet. So she agreed to sit down down and have a dialog with me. And Janet and I noticed each other for the primary time in 27 years yesterday.”
On the time, Hubert bought candid in regards to the difficulties she was coping with forward of her departure in 1993. “Throughout that third season after I bought pregnant, there [were] plenty of issues occurring in my life and Will’s life as effectively,” she recalled throughout a chat with Smith. “Dwelling life was not good in any respect. I used to be now not laughing, smiling, joking as a result of there have been issues occurring that no one knew about. [The] forged had no concept what was occurring.”
Smith admitted that he would have approached the scenario “very in a different way” if he had the data he has now, saying, “I can see the place I made the set very tough for Janet.”
Scroll down for the whole lot previous and current Contemporary Prince of Bel-Air stars have mentioned about Smith’s altercation: