Will Smith recalls Oscar’s slap in the face in emotional ‘Daily Show’ interview

Will Smith said he “just lost his composure” when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on Oscars night in his first late-night interview since the infamous slap in the face earlier this year.

“I was gone,” Smith said on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

“This was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” Smith said.

The actor told Noah he was “going through something” and lost his calm that night.

“It was a horrible night, as you can imagine,” he said. “There’s a lot of nuance and complexity, you know, but at the end of the day I just — I lost it and I appreciate what I would say [is] you just never know what someone is going through.”

Smith didn’t say what issues he struggled with during the awards show – but said a lot of things he’d been feeling had come to a head all at once.

None of this justified his actions, Smith said.

“It was a lot of things. It was the little boy who watched his father beat up his mother. It’s, you know, all of that just bubbled up in that moment,” he said. “That’s not who I want to be.”

Noah offered his own perspective and defended Smith, whom he has known for many years.

“I don’t think you’re like that either,” he said. “I guess it’s not who you are. I think everyone can make a mistake.”

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star slapped Rock in the face after making a joke about Smith’s wife while presenting an award on stage.

He also addressed how he’s largely stayed out of the limelight since the slap was heard around the world, and joked, “I was gone, what did you guys do?” with a laugh.

Smith, who attended the late-night show to promote his new film, Emancipation, had tears running down his face at certain points in the interview, including when he shared a heartfelt story about how his night after the Awards ceremony ended.

Smith said he saw his 9-year-old nephew after he returned home from the Oscars.

“He’s the cutest little boy. We got home and he stayed up late to see his Uncle Will and we’re sitting in my kitchen and he’s on my lap and he’s holding the Oscar and he’s just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’” said Smith, bursting into tears.

He jokingly asked Noah, “Why are you trying to oprah me?” as he sniffled.

Smith added he understood how shocked people were by his violent outburst.

He said he is now learning to heal and forgive himself.

“That’s been one of the big things for me over the past few months — you know, I’ve had to forgive myself for being human,” Smith said.

The star was banned from attending the Academy Awards for the next decade.