What Chris Rock's Mom Had To Say About Will Smith's Oscars Slap
As time goes on, the infamous Oscars slap incident still refuses to die down. The infamous slap happened after comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved hair during the ceremony, only to be then slapped by her irate husband Will Smith, who then proceeded to fire obscenities at Rock. The assault completely overshadowed the awards that evening, and after the clip of the incident went viral, it seemed that the slap was set to go down, as Chris himself joked, as one of the greatest nights in the history of television.
Though Smith later made a public apology and received a 10-year ban from the Oscars (despite keeping his Best Actor award), many continue to be appalled by the assault - perhaps no-one less than Chris Rock's mother. Rosalie Rock, 77, gave an interview to NBC affiliate WIS of Columbia recently, in which she damned Smith for his actions.
7 Rose Was Unimpressed By The Incident
Opening up on the show, Rosalie 'Rose' Rock explained her immediate reaction to seeing the slap.
Watching the event from home, Rock said that she initially assumed that the slap was staged and all part of the act. As Smith then began his tirade of expletive-ridden abuse, it dawned on her that this was quite real - her son Chris had been assaulted live on national television.
6 She Had This To Say About It
“You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened,” Rock told host Billie Jean Shaw, speaking about Smith.
"When Will slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. But he really slapped me. When you hurt my child, you hurt me."
When asked what Rose would've said to Smith, she said that she'd love to have known what was going through his mind in that moment.
5 She Says Chris Could Have Been Seriously Hurt
Rose made a point that many may not have considered; had Chris fallen over with the force of the slap, he could have been severely hurt.
"Chris could have stepped back and fallen. You [Will] really could have gotten taken out in handcuffs. You didn't think. You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went up, and you made her day because she was bowled over laughing when it happened." she said.
4 Will Smith's Mom Has Also Been Shocked By 'Slapgate'
Will Smith's own mother has expressed surprise about her son's outburst, and explained in an interview that it was quite out of character for the I Am Legend actor, who she describes as typically mild-mannered and friendly.
“He is a very even, people person,” she told WPVI. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime... I’ve never seen him do that.”
Though it was difficult for her to watch, she said that she was still "proud of him being him" and was delighted for his best actor win that night.
3 Rose Thinks That Smith's 10-Year Ban Is Not Enough
Rose also gave her two cents on Smith's ban from the academy, stating that she didn't think it went far enough and was a meaningless punishment.
Referencing the 10-year Oscar ban the King Richard star received, she` said, "What does that mean? You don't even go every year."
2 She Wanted A Personal Apology For Her Son
Though she didn't think his Best Actor award should have been revoked, she did wish that Smith would give her son a personal apology, considering his Instragram post to be poor:
"His people wrote up a piece and said, 'I apologise to Chris Rock,' but something like that is personal. You reach out," she said.
1 Chris's Brother Tony Also Had Something To Say
Tony Rock, Chris's brother, also had something to say about the incident. When questioned by a fellow Twitter user with "Do you approve of the apology?", Tony bluntly replied "No."
Another user wrote: "@TONYROCK Let Bro know he’s a better man than people give him credit for. As bad as the situation was, it could have gone completely sideways if he hadn’t been the adult in the room,", to which Tony Rock re-tweeted with a peace sign emoji.
"Be sure to watch ‘Good Hair’ since the narrative is now changed to all my bro does is disrespect women of color," Tony Rock later wrote in support of his brother, encouraging fans to watch the Chris Rock documentary in which he positively explores the culture of black women's hair.
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