In a new interview, Tony Rock reveals his theory of what drove Will to go onstage and slap Chris over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards.
- July 15, 2022
AceShowbiz - Chris Rock's brother Tony Rock weighed in on the infamous drama between his comedian brother and Will Smith at the 2022 Academy Awards back in March. In a new interview, Tony revealed his theory of what drove Will to go onstage and slap Chris over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Tony believed that the slap didn't happen because Will was embarrassed as the "King Richard" laughed over the joke prior to the slap. Questioning the sudden change of emotion, Tony shared on "Top Billin", "Maybe it was the Jada look, but I think that slap was the accumulation of being slapped on other levels. He said it himself, he always hated the soft moniker."
He later insinuated that the close relationship between Jada and late rapper Tupac Shakur might have something to do with the matter. "Jada, she won't let Tupac die. It's always something about Tupac and his daughter brought up Tupac and I'm not bringing up family stuff that people don't know," he said.
"As a married man, you tell this woman, 'Damn, is what I'm doing not enough?' And maybe my brother said some jokes before about them that he didn't like," Tony added. "I said before, that's what backstage is for. If there's anything you wanna say to somebody, say it back here."
Following the drama, Will opted to stay lowkey. His best friend Kevin Hart recently said that the Oscar-winning actor, who was banned from Oscars for 10 years in the wake of the controversy, is in a "better space" than he was in the aftermath of the Oscars.
"Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after," the "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" actor said. He added, "People are human and as humans sometimes we make mistakes. So it's not about talking about the past, it's about acknowledging the present and doing your best to move forward."
Kevin, who is also close with Chris, went on to say, "I can get only hope that the two of them find a way to find some solace in that and move past it. I just like good energy. I love to see people be the best. I still love him, I still love Chris, and, you know, you can't judge a person by one thing. Ultimately, life goes on and people grow, so give him the opportunity to do so."
