Jada Pinkett Smith shares initial reaction to Will Smith's Chris Rock slap

11 October 2023 , 17:29

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Jada Pinkett Smith shares initial reaction to Will Smith's Chris Rock slap

Jada Pinkett-Smith has revealed that she thought the Oscar slap scandal was part of a "skit."

The former actress admitted that she watched from the front row in shock as her husband, Will Smith, shouted expletives at comedian Chris Rock, who had made a joke about Jada's alopecia. She was even more confused when Will stormed on stage and slapped Chris across the face.

“I thought, ‘This is a skit’," she said. "I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him.' It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realised it wasn’t a skit."

When Jada and Will were finally alone, she asked him if he was OK but unbeknownst to the couple, the violent reaction was criticised by Hollywood and viewers around the world. Will shared a public apology after the incident, admitting that he was disappointed in himself for "letting people down."

READ MORE: 6 unanswered Will and Jada Smith split questions - affair, Oscars hit, Margot Robbie

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Will slapped Chris at the Oscars 2022 (Getty Images)

During the apology video, Will addressed the comedian directly and said: "So I will say to you, Chris; I apologise to you, my behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

Smith also apologised to Rock’s mother and father and explained he "wasn't thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment". Showing her support for Will, Jada said: "I'm going to be by his side, but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself."

Recently, Jada has revealed that during the Oscars incident back in 2022, she and Will had been secretly separated for six years beforehand. The state of their turbulent relationship has now been made public by Jada, who said they are still trying to "figure out" what the future of their marriage looks like. She admitted that they have been separated since 2016.

Will and Jada have been separated for seven years (FilmMagic)

The pair were still figuring things out (AFP via Getty Images)

Speaking to People magazine Jada said: "We're still figuring it out." She added: "We've been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other, and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us."

Will and Jada share two children together - Willow, 22, and Jaden, 25. Speaking about their kids, Jada said: "My children, they're little gurus. They've taught me a deep sense of self-acceptance."

Lauren Gordon