Will Smith’s mom, Carolyn, 85, opened up to a local Philadelphia news station about her son slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on March 27. “He is a very even, people person,” Carolyn admitted to ABC6. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. The first time in his lifetime. It did [surprise me]. I’ve never seen him do that.”
Carolyn said she spoke to will on March 28, one day after the incident. The advice she gave him? “Get some rest and go on vacation!” The 85-year-old also gushed about how proud she was of her son for winning his first Oscar at the show. Will was given the Best Actor award for his role in King Richard just moments after the slap incident. “I know how he works and how hard he works,” Carolyn said. “He never half-steps. I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, and when I heard the name I was just like….yes!”
During Will’s Oscars acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy for the drama that occurred earlier in the evening. However, it wasn’t until the evening of March 28 that he issued a public apology to Chris, who has decided not to press charges. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Will wrote. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.”
Chris has not publicly spoken about the incident yet. However, a source close to the comedian told HollywoodLife that he was not aware of Jada’s alopecia when he made the joke.