Jaden Smith Speaks out After Will Smith Slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars

Jaden Smith is supporting dad Will Smith after the King Richard actor took home the Best Actor Oscar shortly after slapping Chris Rock on stage amid a heated altercation. The 23-year-old artist took to Twitter shortly after Sunday’s Academy Awards wrapped, tweeting simply, “And That’s How We Do It.”

Smith’s Best Actor win was overshadowed by his shocking moment with Rock, which began when the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head looking similar to Demi Moore’s in G.I. Jane. Pinkett Smith has been open about her journey with alopecia. “Jada, I love ya. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see ya,” he joked. Will then walked up onto the stage and slapped Rock in the face, shocking the presenter and the audience. 

And That’s How We Do It

— Jaden (@jaden) March 28, 2022

“Oh wow,” Rock said as Smith returned to his seat. “Will Smith just smacked the s- out of me.” Smith then shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f-ing mouth!” to which Rock replied, “Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke,” causing Will to once again shout, “Keep my wife’s name out your f-ing mouth!” Rock ended the moment by telling Will, “I’m going to, OK?” turning to the audience to say, “That was the greatest night in the history of television” and presenting the award.

Later in the night, when Will won his Best Actor award, he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees in a tearful speech. “I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people,” he said.

Will continued, “I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that’s okay.” He also revealed that fellow Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington came to talk to him during commercial breaks: “Denzel said a few minutes ago, ‘At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the Devil comes for you.’”