Richard Williams gives his opinion on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards. Smith has been gaining a lot of notoriety over the last several months for playing Williams himself in the film King Richard, which tells the true story of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams' rise to success after receiving coaching from their father, Richard. Since its release, the film has gained both audience and critical acclaim, and during the 2022 Academy Awards, Smith won his first Oscar for his appearance in the film. Unfortunately, however, this is not the main reason Smith's attendance at the Oscars will be remembered.
As many know, Smith's slap of Rock has been highly scrutinized over the last two days. The incident occurred after the comedian made a rather tasteless joke about how Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, looked like she was ready to star in a sequel to G.I. Jane due to her shaved head. Pinkett Smith has been open bout the fact that she shaves her head due to having the condition known as alopecia, which causes hair loss. Obviously, Rock's joke struck a nerve, as Smith hopped up on stage, slapped the presenter across the face, then retook his seat - only to continue to chastise Rock from his chair.
The incident has sparked several debates over the last two days as to whether Smith's handling of the situation was justified. Now, Williams himself weighs in on the conversation via his son, Chavoita LeSane, in an interview with NBC News. He states that, while he doesn't know the full details of what transpired during the altercation, he doesn't "condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense." See Williams' full quote below:
We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.
Williams, of course, echoes the opinion of many others on the situation. While Rock's joke was in poor taste, Smith did not handle the situation in a mature manner, especially given that the whole event was being televised. The actor did apologize to the audience during his acceptance speech later in the evening, and then released an apology to Rock the next day, but many are still upset with the way Smith handled himself during the ceremony.
Ultimately, it won't be a night that any Oscar fans will soon forget, which is unfortunate for Smith, as he had been waiting to win an Academy Award since he was first nominated back in 2002. His anger towards Rock is understandable, as it is never alright to make fun of someone's illness, and Rock actually also poked fun at Pinkett Smith the last time he hosted the Oscars as well. With that said, Williams' point still stands strong: Violence is never the answer, and especially not during the Academy Awards.
Source: NBC News