Jada Pinkett Smith reacts to rumours blaming her for Will Smith's Oscars slap

12 October 2023 , 21:57

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Jada Pinkett Smith responded to rumours claiming that she was responsible for Will's infamous Oscar slap

Jada Pinkett Smith fired back after "ridiculous" rumours blamed her for Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars.

During the 94th Academy Awards the I Am Legend star shocked viewers as he swiftly slapped presenter Chris across the face after he made a joke about his wife's shaved head which was a result of her immune system disease alopecia. After the shocking moment, all eyes were on Jada as everyone believed she "told Will to do something" after the comment.

Now, over a year later, the 52-year-old celeb cleared the air following the incident. This week she told People: "It was ridiculous how far it went," and added: "But I also understood at the same time. Considering the false narrative that I had cheated on Will or I was like some adulteress, Will had never done that before."

READ MORE: Inside Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s year from hell that ended in secret split

Jada responds to rumours that she was to blame for Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars (Getty Images)

She continued: "And I think that when we just look at human nature... when you look at the breadcrumbs, people need something to blame," and added: "And so people not knowing what was happening behind the scenes, I surely wasn’t surprised that I got blamed,” she added. “But I understood that that’s just the human nature of it all.”

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The former talk show host added that she initially thought that the whole interaction was a skit. She told the news outlet: "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." She said that the first words she uttered to her husband after the slap was: "Are you okay?”

After the altercation, Will was awarded as Best Actor for his role in the sports drama King Richard following is role as Richard Williams. After receiving the prestigious honour, he was later banned from attending Academy events for 10 years for his inappropriate behaviour.

Jada also recently revealed that she and her husband Will have been separated for seven years (AFP via Getty Images)

Jada, while on press tour for her new memoir Worthy, also revealed another factor that could've came into factored into the slap. After dropping the bombshell that she has been secretly separated from her husband for seven years, she also revealed that before that night Chris previously asked her out on a date, as cheating rumours were spreading between her and Will during that time.

But whatever the cause might've been, after the ordeal Will addressed the slap claiming that his wife did not influence his decision that night. In a social media video, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star said: "It’s like… I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it," and continued: "I’m sorry, babe. I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I’ve brought on all of us.”

Will later discussed the incident during a guest appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah and shared that he was "going through something that night" and that his actions were due to bottled up rage. He later also apologised to Chris himself and admitted telling the comedian that it was "unacceptable behaviour."

Caroline Gaspich