Academy-award winning actor Will Smith’s violent response to comedian Chris Rock’s joke at the 2022 Oscars ceremony has left internet divided.
While the infamous slap controversy has become the talk of the town, many celebrities – taking to social media – supported the actor's stance to protect his wife Jada Pinkett Smith and others condemned his act as an unjust reaction.
Tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams, whose character Will Smith portrayed in the biographical sports drama film King Richard also reacted to the notorious slap Smith landed on Rock during the Oscars ceremony, on Sunday night.
“We don’t know all the details of what happened,” Richard Williams, via his son Chavoita LeSane, told the media. “But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”
Moreover, the Pursuit of Happyness actor has also offered public apology to Rock for slapping him during the Oscars ceremony.
"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be," Smith wrote on Instagram.