Will Smith will have therapy for his “unresolved childhood issues” knowing he’s “fighting to save his career and reputation” after beating comedian Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars, sources claim.
A source close to Mark Manson, who co-wrote Smith’s 2021 memoir Will, said the actor was “deeply triggered” by Rock’s comments about his wife’s alopecia as she directly related it to his reminisce about traumatic childhoods.
Friends claim Smith reacted violently after feeling like a “coward” for not intervening when he saw his father brutally beat his mother when he was nine.
A source close to Manson told The Sun: “Will knows he’s fighting to save his career, his reputation and even his Oscar.
“He is horrified by the turn of events and filled with a deep sense of shame.
“He looks forward to further therapy for his unresolved childhood problems and will do everything to correct his current misjudgment.
“Essentially, however, Will was heartbroken by Chris’ demeaning comments about his wife’s alopecia. He was transported straight back to childhood when he saw his mother being abused by his father.
“This time he didn’t take it and hit back, as sadly 50 million people around the world have seen.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will hold an emergency board meeting today to discuss disciplinary action against Smith for the attack on Rock.
A source close to Mark Manson, who co-wrote Smith’s 2021 memoir Will, said the actor was “deeply triggered” by Chris Rock’s comments about his wife’s alopecia, as she directly in reminisce about his traumatic childhood. Pictured: Will Smith and Mark Mason in 2019
Smith got emotional during his acceptance speech at the Oscars after winning the Best Actor Oscar
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars on Sunday after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith apologized on Monday
Disciplinary action could include anything from being required to return his Oscar to the most severe punishment — suspension from the academy — that would place Smith alongside Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby, both of whom were expelled for sexual misconduct.
Smith apologized Monday for hitting Rock, saying his behavior was “unacceptable and inexcusable” and made him “embarrassed”.
Smith’s admissions in Will, which was released last November, shed new light on his actions at the Oscars that shocked the world
The actor admitted in his memoir Will that feeling like a coward was “my biggest trigger” growing up, in a passage that explains why he beat Rock at the Oscars.
Smith wrote that seeing his father brutally beat his mother when he was nine “defined who I am today more than any other moment.”
The Men in Black star admitted he “always thought of himself as a coward” for not joining in the beating.
He called his father a “violent alcoholic” and said he was contemplating suicide because he was ashamed he didn’t stand up to him.
Smith’s admissions in Will, which was released last November, shed new light on his actions at the Oscars that shocked the world.
He slammed Rock after the comedian joked about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness – in fact, her shaved head is due to alopecia.
When Rock presented the Oscar for best documentary, Smith came on stage at the unplanned moment and hit him with his right hand.
Viewers then saw Smith return to his seat, sitting upright in his chair, eyes bulging with anger as he told Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth.”
While Smith’s actions had viewers and commentators divided, his reasons for his behavior are made clear in his memoir.
Smith apologized Monday for hitting Rock, saying his behavior was “unacceptable and inexcusable” and made him “embarrassed”.
On “Will,” Smith recalled how he was deeply hurt when his career as a rapper began to wane when he was ousted by DJ Jazzy Jeff, his longtime collaborator.
He wrote that the episode “activated my most violent trigger: I had fought my entire life not to be a coward.”
Smith attributes it to how his own father, Willard Smith Sr., beat up his mother as a child and was wracked with guilt for the rest of his life.
The actor wrote that he “always considered himself a coward” for not intervening in these incidents.
Smith recalled a terrifying episode when he was nine when he “watched my father hit my mother on the head so hard she collapsed”.
He wrote: “I saw her spitting up blood. That moment in that bedroom defined who I am today, probably more than any other moment.”
In a now very relevant bit, he continued, “Through everything I’ve done since — the awards and accolades, the spotlight and attention, the characters and the laughs, there’s been a subtle array of apologies to my mother for my inaction.” on this day.
“For letting her down at that moment. Because I couldn’t stand up to my father. Because you’re a coward.”
Smith admitted in the book that his father — whom he called “Daddio” — “was violent, he was an alcoholic,” but he was also at every “game, play, or concert.”
On “Will,” Smith recalled how he was deeply hurt when his career as a rapper began to wane when he was ousted by DJ Jazzy Jeff, his longtime collaborator. Pictured together in 1986
Jada supported her husband after he defended her by taking to the stage to slap Rock. They are pictured at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party
Willard was also sober at each of Smith’s film premieres and still considered him his “hero”.
But Smith wrote that because of his father, he was always “haunted by a nagging feeling that I’m failing the women I love.”
Smith wrote that he was “always doing too much” in his relationships and was “desperate to please his partner.”
As a result, he became a “pleaser” and developed his public role – as an entertainer and actor.
Smith wrote that when he was 13, his father beat his mother for the last time, and it was one of only two times in his life that he considered suicide.
Smith’s difficult relationships with other men erupted when Jada became friends with the late rapper Tupac Shakur, a friendship that Smith says “tortured” him.
Smith felt Tupac was more manly, and he had a “raging jealousy” toward him that made him feel “inadequate.”
When Jada chose Smith, he felt it was a “twisted win,” which left him embarrassed.
Smith seemed to allude to his inner conflict in his acceptance speech for the Oscar when he talked about “protecting” his family.
He said that for his mother, “a lot of those moments are really complicated for me.”
Smith said: “I know in order to do what we’re doing you have to be able to take abuse, make people talk crazy about you. In this business you have to be able to be disrespected by people.
“You have to smile and pretend everything is fine.”