Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry Talked to Will Smith After Chris Rock Slap at the Oscars

By Brian Jones

After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars Sunday night, Smith was approached by Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry, who appeared to be comforting Smith during the commercial break after the altercation. According to Variety, Washington and Perry were seen talking to Smith, who slapped Rock after making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair. It was also reported that Smith's publicist, Meredith O. Sullivan, came by at the commercial break to have a discussion. Additionally, Oscar producer Will Packer also visited Smith before the King Richard star won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams' dad, Richard Williams. 

During his acceptance speech, Smith revealed that Washington told him, "At your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you." Smith also said, "Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family," and later apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees for his actions. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees," he said, visibly crying. "Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. Love will make you do crazy things... Thank you to the Academy, I hope you will have me back."

Last year, Pinkett Smith announced she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia. In an Instagram post, Pinkett Smith said, "Now at this point, I can only laugh… y'all know I've been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day…it just showed up like that. Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I'd just share it so y'all not asking any questions…Mama's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!"

Before Rock presented the award for Best Documentary Feature, he joked about Pinkett Smith being in the movie G.I. Jane 2 because of her shaved head. That was when Smith approached the stage, slapped Rock and screamed at him when he got back to his seat. Rock was visibly shaken by the incident but still presented the award to Questlove for the film Summer of Soul. 

Afterward, Questlove was asked about the Smith's slap on Rock. "I'm not talking about that. This is about the Harlem cultural festival." Smith won Oscar for the first time in his career on Sunday night. Before the win, Smith was nominated for the Best Actor award twice — Ali in 2002 and The Pursuit of Happyness in 2007. Smith also won a Golden Globe and SAG Award for his role in King Richard.

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