Serena Williams finally breaks silence on Will Smith Oscar slap one year on
Serena Williams has finally broken her silence on Will Smith's Oscar slap nearly a year on from the incident - saying that it "overshadowed" the film in which he portrayed her father Richard Williams.
However, the tennis legend, 41, conceded that "everyone makes mistakes" and "no one is perfect".
Hollywood actor Will, 54, had been nominated for - and later won - a Best Actor Academy Award for 2021 biopic King Richard, which followed Serena and Venus Williams' tennis coach dad as he aspired to make them pro sports stars.
But Will ended up making global headlines last year after storming on stage at the star-studded ceremony and slapping 57-year-old Chris Rock over a joke made about Jada Pinkett Smith.
It was one of the most talked about moments of 2022 - and almost a year on, the world is still gripped by the on-stage attack.
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The tennis superstar - who announced her retirement from the sport back in August - was asked about the incident on CBS Mornings as she chatted to host Gayle King.
Serena Williams has spoken about the infamous slap (Getty Images)
Will Smith won't be invited to March's Oscars (AFP via Getty Images)Following the slap, Will was subsequently banned from attending the awards ceremony for 10 years and announced his resignation from the Academy.
But Serena appears to have jumped to the Fresh Prince's defence.
The host showed her a sweet video of her father coaching her as a child before dipping into “that moment at the Oscars”.
“I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed,” the 23-time Grand Slam winner said.
His attack on Chris Rock stunned the showbiz world (Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)“But I also feel that I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and made a tremendous amount of mistakes, and I’m the kind of person that’s like ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world'.
She went on: “We’re all imperfect, and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other. So, that’s often forgotten a lot.”
At the end of last year, Will opened up about the "difficult few months" he has faced since the slap.
He played the lead role in Apple TV+ drama Emancipation, which focuses on the story of enslaved 'Whipped Peter' who manages to escape to a Louisiana plantation before making his way to join the Union Army.
The Men in Black star has faced severe criticism (Getty Images)
Serena says nobody is perfect and appeared to defend him (Getty Images for TechCrunch)"It certainly has been a difficult last few months," he said during an appearance on the YouTube channel Jake's Takes.
Serena Williams "torn" on retirement U-turn with her back playing tennis
"I would just hope that these spectacular artists who have come together on this project, I would hope that they would not be penalised for a few horrific moments of indiscretion on my part."
Speaking about his upcoming film, Will said he hopes other artists involved are not "penalised" for his actions.
The 2023 Oscars ceremony is expected to attract a huge viewership following what went on last year.
Oscar viewing ratings have fallen in recent years - but that could change next month (Getty Images)A celebrity PR expert has said the "jaw dropping incident" will be on everyone's minds, with all eyes expected to be on this year's ceremony.
Mayah Riaz, celebrity PR, told The Mirror: "There is no doubt that the Will Smith slap is a jaw dropping incident. It will always be remembered as the most shocking Oscar moment.
"It can go one of two ways during the ceremony; he will be the butt of all jokes or people will steer clear of mentioning it. The latter will be the best approach for the academy."
She added: "All eyes will be on the ceremony, which is great because we have seen that the ratings have been falling in recent years.
"However, it needs to be a truly fabulous night of glitz, glamour and entertainment. In order to make sure the viewers keep watching, Hollywood really needs to do what it does best and make it a show stopper of a ceremony."
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