Tyler Perry has recalled the moments after Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock at The Oscars back in March.
The 52-year-old filmmaker – who was seen on stage with the 53-year-old Smith after the shocking incident – wanted to make clear that he was ‘deescalating’ the situation and not comforting the A-lister as he talked about the aftermath of the shocking moment.
On Monday, Tyler had an on-stage conversation with Gayle King as part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Directors Series in New York City where he discussed several topics including that notorious slap.
Shocking: Tyler Perry has recalled the moments after Will Smith famously slapped Chris Rock at The Oscars back in March
Interesting: The 52-year-old filmmaker – who was seen on stage with the 53-year-old Smith after the shocking incident – wanted to make clear that he was ‘deescalating’ the situation and not comforting the A-lister as he talked about the aftermath of the shocking moment
Of his talk with Will, the A Madea Homecoming star said: ‘There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1. And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay. Being friends with both of them has been very difficult.’
Tyler wanted to make clear that it was a tough moment for everyone in attendance and that Chris should not only be praised for the way he handled it but there should also be understanding for Will.
He explained: ‘Trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris, who was a pure champion for the way he handled it.
‘But I want you to understand that something happened that was extremely painful for [Will] as well. That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him — that is so out of everything he is.’
Of his talk with Will, the A Madea Homecoming star said: ‘There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1. And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay. Being friends with both of them has been very difficult’
Tyler was on hand on Hollywood’s biggest night to honor Sidney Poitier during the In Memoriam segment as he said the ugly incident was ‘wrong in no uncertain terms, and I made sure I said that to Will.
‘And I’ll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe what happened. He couldn’t believe he did it.
‘I’m looking at this man in his eyes going, ‘What are you doing? This is your night.’ And to get all the way to this moment, winning an Oscar, that was one of the crowning moments of his career that he wanted so desperately, and to have something like that happen… I think he is very much in reflection of trying to figure out what happened.’
Dynamic duo: On Monday, Tyler had an on-stage conversation with Gayle King as part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Directors Series in New York City where he discussed several topics including that notorious slap
Tyler went on to say that he believes that Will’s childhood trauma had played a major role in why things unfolded the way they did.
He said: ‘Because what I’ll tell you is I just read his book, and there’s this moment about not being able to protect his mother [as a child]. I know that feeling — I’m getting chills just thinking about it.
‘I know that feeling of being a man and thinking about the little boy. And if that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time. I know Will. I know him well.’
This comes just weeks after Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith directly addressed the slap at The Oscars for the first time in depth, saying she hopes the two men have the ‘opportunity to heal’ and ‘reconcile’ after the shocking incident.
Tyler was on hand on Hollywood’s biggest night to honor Sidney Poitier during the In Memoriam segment as he said the ugly incident was ‘wrong in no uncertain terms, and I made sure I said that to Will’
Speaking ahead of a Red Table Talk special on alopecia released earlier this month, Jada, 50, began by referencing the controversy when Will, 53, assaulted Chris, 57, after he made a joke about Jada’s bald head, which is the result of her suffering from the autoimmune disorder.
‘This is a really important Red Table Talk on alopecia. Considering what I’ve been through with my own health and what happened at the Oscars,’ the actress began.
‘Thousands have reached out to me with their stories. I’m using this moment to give our alopecia family an opportunity to talk about what it’s like to have this condition and to inform people about what alopecia actually is.
Speaking out: This comes just weeks after Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith directly addressed the slap at The Oscars for the first time in depth, saying she hopes the two men have the ‘opportunity to heal’ and ‘reconcile’ after the shocking incident
Addressing the infamous slap, Jada said: ‘Now about Oscar night, my deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile.
She continued: ‘The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together. Thank you for listening.’
Following the incident, Will was seen partying the night away with his family at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash, dancing to his own song Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It as crowds cheered him on.
However, a few days later he apologized in an official statement saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.
‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.
‘My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a 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. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.’
Chris has not responded to Will’s apology, but has referenced the slap multiple times since during his stand up performances.
Last month, Chris joked that he ‘got most of my hearing back’ after the slap, during a set at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Addressing the controversy: It is the first time that Jada has talked about the incident in depth
Her side of the story: Jada called both Will and Chris ‘intelligent, capable men’ and said she hoped they ‘have an opportunity to heal’
After a formal review of the incident in April, Will was banned from the Oscars for 10 years, but was allowed to keep his Best Actor award that he won for King Richard.
In a statement, the Academy blasted his ‘unacceptable’ and ‘harmful’ behavior that ‘overshadowed’ the entire evening.
‘During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.
‘The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.
‘We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.’
Devastating: Jada invited Niki Ball on Red Table Talk who revealed her daughter died by suicide over bullying due to her having alopecia
Emotional: Jada’s daughter Willow Smith could be seen getting visibly emotional as they talked about the subject
Moved: Jada also looked upset as she heard the story on the special episode, which she introduced by referencing the Oscars slap
During the full episode of Wednesday’s Red Table Talk, Jada discussed the topic of alopecia with her mother Adrienne Banfield Norris and daughter Willow Smith.
‘People don’t understand what alopecia is, and they don’t understand the effects of it,’ Jada said on the show.
It had been reported that sources close to Chris Rock said the comedian was not aware that Jada suffered from alopecia when he made the joke about her being bald.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disorder that can cause unpredictable, patchy hair loss, and it affects approximately 7 million people in the US.
After introducing the show and referring to the Oscars slap moment, Jada brought on mother Niki Ball, whose daughter Rio Allred suffered from alopecia and died by suicide as a result of the bullying she received.
Niki revealed that her 12-year-old daughter Rio died just two weeks before the Oscars slap incident took place. ‘People are going to be Googling, “what is alopecia?” Like “what is this that we’ve never heard of?” It’s not a joke,’ she said.
The episode also brought on former NBA player Charlie Villanueva and a hair surgeon who both talked about their struggles with alopecia.
Chris has not responded to Will’s apology, but has referenced the slap multiple times since during his stand up performances
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