Will Smith Opens Up and Explains Why He Slapped Chris Rock At The Oscars

Will Smith is finally opening up about that slap at the Oscars that left poor Chris Rock stunned and a bit shook up.

ICYMI, Chris Rock made a joke about the fact that Jada Pinkett Smith — Will’s wife — had shaved her head for her walk down the red carpet.

Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.
Chris Rock at the Oscars

Will at first found the joke funny — he was laughing along with the audience — but then he snapped, stormed the stage, and slapped Chris Rock.

Apparently Jada suffers from a medical condition — alopecia — which makes her lose her hair, and Will found the joke offensive.

Now, Will is finally addressing the slap, and explaining a little of why it happened.

He sat down with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show, and explained what happened that night.

It’s like I understood the idea where they say hurt people hurt people.
Will Smith

Will said that you “never know what somebody is going through,” and he “was going through something that night. Not that that justifies [his] behavior at all.”

That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time
Will Smith

He went on to say that he used to watch his father “beat up” his mother when he was younger, and that fed the built up emotion.

All of that just bubbled up in that moment.
Will Smith

Smith just recently posted an apology video to Chris Rock for his slap at the Oscars. Finally.

As for the aftermath of the violent action, Will has been banned from the Oscars for 10 years — which makes it a little awkward when he is up for awards.