Will Smith’s Mom Opens Up About His Chris Rock Oscar Smack: ‘I’ve Never Seen Him Before’

Will Smith’s mother said she was “surprised” when she saw her son slap Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

During the awards show on Sunday night (March 27), Smith took the stage to slap Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about his wife, fellow actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith’s mother, Caroline – who lives in Philadelphia, where Smith grew up – addressed his behavior in a television interview on Monday (March 28).

“He’s a very even-tempered person,” she told Philadelphia News action messages, adding that she was “surprised” by his actions.

“This is the first time I’ve seen him walk away. For the first time in his life,” she said. “I’ve never seen him do that before.”

Caroline said she spoke to Smith the day after the Oscars (March 28) and advised him to get some rest.

She added that she was “proud” of Smith after he won best actor that night.

Shortly after the onstage incident, Smith re-entered the stage to accept his award for his starring role in King Richard.

The actor broke down in tears upon accepting the award and spoke about the importance of family. He also took the opportunity to apologize to the Academy and his fellow contestants for his actions, though not to Rock in particular.

Caroline said Smith deserved the award, explaining, “I know how he works, how hard he works. And he doesn’t take half steps. I’ve waited and waited and waited. When I heard the name, I was like, ‘Yes!’”

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She added that she felt Smith should have received awards for all of his films.

The actor’s younger sister, Ellen Smith, who was dating Caroline, also addressed the incident involving her brother.

“I’ve had conversations with him and it really broke my heart to hear what he had to go through to get where he is,” Ellen said.

Smith has issued an official statement apologizing to Rock for his behavior and writing that his actions are “unacceptable and inexcusable”.

Read the full apology here.

Here is the full list of 2022 Oscar winners here. Check out the latest updates and reactions from the dramatic ceremony hereand read the main talking points here.