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Jada Pinkett Smith has reflected on the “ridiculous” rumors that circulated after the infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars.
The 94th Academy Awards last year descended into uproar after Will Smith took the stage and slapped host Chris Rock in the face in response to a joke he made about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head being a result of her alopecia .
Following the controversial moment, 52-year-old Pinkett Smith found herself at the center of the incident, with some believing she had “ordered” Will to do something in response to Rock’s comment.
“It was ridiculous how far it went,” “The Nutty Professor” actor said of the rumors in a new interview with People.
“But at the same time I understood it. Given the false narrative that I cheated on Will or was like an adulteress, Will had never done that before,” Pinkett Smith said.
“And I think if we just look at human nature… if you look at the breadcrumbs, people have to have someone to blame.
“And since people didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes, I certainly wasn’t surprised that I was blamed,” she added. “But I realized that’s just the human nature of it all.”
Will, 55, addressed the rumors at the time and denied that Pinkett Smith had any influence on his behavior that night.
“It’s like I made my own decision based on my own experiences and my history with Chris. “Jada had nothing to do with it,” the “Men in Black” star explained in a video shared on social media. “I’m sorry baby. I would like to apologize to my children and family for the heat I have brought upon all of us.”
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Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and Chris Rock
(AFP via Getty Images)
Elsewhere in the tell-all interview to promote her upcoming memoir Worthy, Pinkett Smith said she remembers initially thinking the whole thing was a skit.
“I thought, ‘There’s no way Will can beat him.’ It wasn’t until Will walked back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit,” she said, revealing that the first words she said to her husband when they were alone were, “Are you OK? “
In his first late-night talk show appearance after the fiasco, Will told The Daily Show with Trevor Noah that he “went through something that night” and attributed his actions to “suppressed anger.”
Shortly after, the Emancipation actor apologized to Academy and Rock for his “unacceptable behavior.”
While Will won the Best Actor award for his leading role in King Richard just minutes after the televised altercation, he was banned from Academy events for ten years.
Pinkett Smith also revealed to the magazine that she and Will have been separated for seven years.
“We did really hard work together. “We just developed deep love for each other and we’re going to figure out what that looks like for us,” the Girls Trip actress said. “I will be by his side but also allow him to figure this out for himself.”
Worthy will be released on October 17th.