Will Smith’s mother speaks on the slap: ‘I’ve never seen him do that’

Two days after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, setting off a cultural firestorm of commentary and ill-advised discourse, Smith’s mother Carolyn Smith spoke about her son and the confrontation.

In an interview with 6ABC, Carolyn Smith said her son usually kept his cool and she had never seen him lose his temper like he did Sunday.

“He is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. The first time in his lifetime. I’ve never seen him do that,” she said.

On Sunday, Rock, who was on stage to announce the winner of the best documentary — which went to Philly native Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson — made a joke that he was looking forward to seeing Pinkett Smith in G.I. Jane 2 due to her haircut. In 2018, Pinkett Smith revealed she was dealing with hair loss after being diagnosed with alopecia.

Smith can be seen walking up on stage and slapping Rock across the face. Then, a visibly upset Smith yelled at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth, complete with an expletive for emphasis.

Later in the show, Smith would win the Oscar for best actor. Smith tearfully accepted the award, alluding to the incident in his speech, but not apologizing to Rock.

On Monday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the governing body of the Academy Awards, condemned Smith’s actions and said it would launch a formal review. Smith issued a statement apologizing to both Rock and the film academy later Monday.

“I was out of line and I was wrong,” he said.

Smith’s sister Ellen Smith told 6ABC she felt bad for her brother because many people didn’t know the stress and abuse he has gone through.

“Everybody has been bullied and abused in some kind of way. I totally understand. People are like I wish I was in such and such shoes. Those are my goals. But you really don’t know what it takes to get there. I’ve had conversations with him and it really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he said he had to go through to get to where he is,” she said about her brother.

Carolyn Smith said she spoke to her son after the confrontation and told him to “get some rest and go on vacation.” Ultimately, she was still a proud mother, she said, happy her son won the Academy Award he had sought for so long.

“I am proud of him being him,” she said.