When defending the first-time Oscar winner, the 'Fast and Furious' actor says that the smack has been 'in the chamber since 2016' when he had to defend his wife Jada Pinkett Smith because of the comedian's insensitive joke.
- Mar 28, 2022
AceShowbiz - Tyrese Gibson has defended Will Smith after the latter smacked Chris Rock for his joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Taking to social media, the "Fast and Furious" actor revealed that the slap actually has been "scheduled" for years.
"If you know what we all know….That slap has been scheduled and in the chamber since 2016!" wrote the 43-year-old singer/actor via Instagram on Sunday, March 27. He added, "KINGS WILL BE KINGS and protect their QUEENS AT ALL COST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Tyrese further noted, "You gotta respect the nice guy that's far from nice if you push him in a corner……." The "Morbius" actor also gushed over Will, who took home the Best Actor award for his performance in "King Richard", "KING SMITH……… The Smith's Hollywood and music royalty…..Our respect just went into new heights…..Get that Oscar for BEST OSCAR…."
During the award show, Chris made jokes about Jada and her "G.I. Jane" as he presented the Best Documentary award. Shortly after, Will was then seen standing up from his seat and walking to the stage. "The Pursuit of Happyness" actor then slapped Chris in the face before returning to his seat.
Shortly afterwards, the "Saturday Night Live" alum, who appeared to be shocked, said, "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me." As the camera panned to Will, he could be heard saying, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth" from his seat.
"Wow, dude," replied Chris, "It was a 'G.I. Jane' joke." Will reiterated, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth." Chris then retorted, "Okay. That was the greatest night in the history of television."
Later when P. Diddy took the stage to introduce a clip montage celebrating the 50th anniversary of "The Godfather", he weighed in on the wild confrontation, noting that "this year was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever!" The "Coming Home" rapper then offered to step in as saying, "Okay, Will, Chris, we're going to solve that like family. But right now, we're moving on with love."
Following the heated exchange, Daniel Kaluuya was seen coming up to hug Will while Denzel Washington escorted him to the side of the stage and comforted him. Also trying to calm things down was Tyler Perry, who came over to talk. At one point, Will was caught wiping tears off his face.
A source informed PEOPLE that the heated exchange between Will and Chris went back several years, when Chris took aim at Will's wife during his hosting gig at the 2016 Academy Awards. "When Chris hosted the Oscars in 2016, Jada was boycotting because of 'Oscars So White.' In his monologue, he made fun of her, saying she can't boycott something she wasn't invited to," the insider explained, "Will was still mad about that."
