Serena Williams has broken her silence and defended the shocking moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars almost a 12 months ago.
Talking to Gayle King, 68, on CBS Mornings, the tennis star said that everybody deserves forgiveness.
Serena said that at times she has made her own mistakes and reminded viewers that ‘we’re all imperfect and we’re all human’.
‘Then King Richard had that moment on the Oscars, what did you’re feeling about that?’ Gayle asked the sporting ace.
‘I believed it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that was overshadowed,’ Serena said.
‘We’re all imperfect and we’re all human’: Serena Williams has revealed what she really thinks about THAT Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars slap
‘But I also feel that I even have been ready where I have been under numerous pressure and I’ve made an amazing amount of mistakes.
‘I’m the individual that’s like, ”I have been there, I’ve made a mistake. It is not the top of the world.” We’re all imperfect and we’re all human and let’s just be kind to one another.’
She finished: ‘So, that is often forgotten quite a bit.’
King Richard is the film that tells the story of Serena and Venus Williams and the mentorship of their father, Richard Williams.
Will portrays Richard within the film.
Will slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars in March last 12 months, making international headlines.
Chris, who was hosting the show, joked that Will’s wife Jada looked like ‘G.I. Jane’ due to her bald head.
She had recently revealed that she suffers from alopecia.
Shocking the world of Showbiz! Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars in March last 12 months
Will stormed the stage and slapped Rock after fuming: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth.’
He went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard that night, but he didn’t specifically apologize to Chris.
Following the incident, Will was seen partying the night away together with his family on the Vanity Fair Oscars bash, dancing to his own song Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It as crowds cheered him on.
Will has since been banned from the Oscars for 10 years for slapping comedian Chris, but will likely be allowed to maintain his award for Best Actor.
Nonetheless, a couple of 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.
Nonetheless, a couple of days later he apologized in an official statement saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’
‘My behavior eventually night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a component of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was an excessive amount of for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
‘I would really like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I used to be out of line and I used to be mistaken. I’m embarrassed and my actions weren’t indicative of the person I would like to be. There isn’t any place for violence in a world of affection and kindness.’
In November last 12 months, Will spoke to Trevor Noah concerning the incident and said there was ‘rage’ inside him that night on the Oscars.
He also added that when he got home after the ceremony, his nine-year-old nephew was waiting and had seen the slap, asking him, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’
Struggles: In December 2021, she shared how she had been combating alopecia and encouraged her Instagram followers to ask questions
Will then took out his tissues and checked out Noah, joking, ‘Rattling it. Why are you attempting to Oprah me?’
He added, ‘It was a large number, you understand. I don’t need to go too far into it to offer people more to misunderstand.’
After discussing his latest movie, Noah joked they hadn’t seen him for some time, as Will began to open up about what he said was ‘a horrific night, as you possibly can imagine.’
‘There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the top of the day, I just… I lost it, you understand?’ Will admitted.
‘I used to be going through something that night, you understand? Not that that justifies my behavior in any respect…’ he admitted.
‘It was numerous things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you understand? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is just not who I would like to be,’ he said.
‘I used to be gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a extremely very long time,’ Will said.
Emotional: In November last 12 months, Will spoke to Trevor Noah concerning the incident and said there was ‘rage’ inside him that night on the Oscars
