By Ariana Brockington, TODAY
Actress Jada Pinkett Smith has revealed what happened off-camera after actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards.
That March 27, millions of viewers watched as Smith took the stage and slapped Rock after he mocked Pinkett Smith – who has spoken openly about his alopecia – for his shaved head. Some onlookers watched as Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your damn mouth."
Pinkett Smith has spoken about that incident during the special that will air this Friday on the NBC News news network at 8 p.m. (East Coast Time), sharing details about what viewers did not see.
The actress, 52, tells journalist Hada Kotb, according to an exclusive clip of the interview, that she had a brief conversation with Rock while excerpts of the best documentary nominees were screened at that ceremony.
[Jada Pinkett Smith reveals she and Will Smith have been "divorced" since 2016]
"Chris looked at me and said, 'Jada, I didn't want to hurt you,'" the actress recalls. "I had my head somewhere else because I was so worried about Will. And Will was still talking. And now I was angry because Chris was talking to me," he explained.
"And I said, 'Chris, was this because of some crap from the past?' That was all you can think of telling him, right? And, really, I couldn't assimilate his apology," he added.
This revelation adds more details about the long history between her, Smith and Rock. In an interview with People magazine published this week, the actress said the comedian tried to ask her out.
"I think every summer there was news that Will and I were getting divorced. And that particular summer, Chris thought we were getting divorced," she said.
"So he called me and said, 'I'd love to go out with you.' And I asked him, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'Well, aren't you and Will going to get divorced?' So, I said, "No, Chris, that's just rumors." I was horrified. He apologized profusely and that was it."
['She Hurt Him More Than He Did Me': Chris Rock Talks About Will Smith's Slap in Face On His New Show]
In his interview with Kotb, Pinkett Smith also discusses the public's response to Smith's behavior on Oscar night. Kotb notes how surprising it was to see Smith so upset.
"It's totally out of line," says the TODAY co-host.
Pinkett Smith agrees, adding, "It's not him at all."
Because Smith's actions were so shocking, some critics suggested that Pinkett Smith was to blame for his outburst. Some headlines suggested she encouraged Smith to defend her.
"You were the bad one," Kotb says. "Look at what Jada forced him to do. Jada rolled her eyes and look what she did," he said.
['I'm Not a Victim': Comedian Chris Rock Talks About Will Smith's Slap at the Oscars]
"My honest opinion is that it had more to do with the false narrative I helped create,'" he replied, referring to an episode of his former Facebook Live series Red Table Talk.
In September 2020, Smith participated in the talk show to talk about the public scandal that was the "entanglement" of Pinkett Smith with the musician August Alsina. The couple said they were briefly separated when their friendship with Alsina turned into a romance.
"We got together young, and we were both broken," Smith said at the time. "Being able to make mistakes, without fear of losing your family, is fundamental."
Recalling the conversation, Pinkett Smith told Kotb that she became "the adulterous wife" in the eyes of the public. She said people assumed she "forced him to go to the table and sit there."
"And now look at what he's done. She has the power to make him stand up and slap someone on stage," he said.