She had preferred to remain discreet after the incident.
Four months later, Willow Smith finally confided in her father's slap to Chris Rock, during the 2022 Oscars ceremony. On March 27, the 53-year-old actor slapped the comedian, after a sketch on the hairstyle of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering from alopecia.
A violent and impulsive behavior that had stunned all the guests present.
In the aftermath, the Academy banned him from ceremonies for 10 years.
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The error is human
Victim of cyberbullying, Willow Smith (21) spoke of the consequences of this incident on her and her family, and defended her father's error.
"I see my whole family as human beings, I love them and accept them for all their humanity," she explained.
Because of the position we are in, our humanity is sometimes not accepted, and we are expected to act in ways that are not conducive to healthy human life and not conducive to honesty."
In video, the apologies of Will Smith, facing the camera, after the speech of Chris Rock
A statement similar to that of his father, made a few days earlier.
On August 1, the actor had apologized, facing the camera, through a six-minute video shared on his social networks.
"My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here when you're ready to talk," Will Smith told Chris Rock.
He had concluded his plea by defending himself, however: “I am a human being and I made a mistake, but I try not to think of myself as an asshole.
[…] I am fully devoted to bringing light and joy to this world”.
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: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock in the middle of the Oscars 2022 ceremony
Tackle with humor
The actor's solemn message also followed Chris Rock's speech on the Madison Square Garden stage in New York.
In the form of a joke, the comedian had launched a spade at his attacker, in the middle of a sketch: “People who say that words can hurt have clearly never been hit in the face”.