Will Smith mentioned he “just lost it” when he slapped comedian Chris Rock on Oscars evening in his first late-night interview for the reason that notorious slap earlier this yr.
“I was gone,” Smith mentioned on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.”
“That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,” Smith mentioned.
The actor informed Noah he was “going through something” and misplaced his cool that evening.
“That was a horrific night as you can imagine,” he mentioned. “There’s many nuances and complexities to it, you know, but at the end of the day, I just — I lost it and I guess what I would say [is] you just never know what somebody’s going through.”
Smith didn’t establish what troubles he was coping with through the awards ceremony — however mentioned numerous issues he had been feeling got here to a head unexpectedly.
None of it justified his actions, Smith mentioned.
“It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. It’s, you know, all of that just bubbled up in in that moment,” he mentioned. “That’s not who I want to be.”
Noah provided his personal perspective, defending Smith who he has identified for a few years.
“I also think that’s not who you are,” he mentioned. “I think it’s not who you are. I think everybody can make a mistake.”
The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” star smacked Rock within the face after he made a joke about Smith’s spouse whereas presenting an award on stage.
He additionally addressed how he has largely stayed out of the highlight for the reason that slap heard all over the world, joking “I’ve been away, what y’all been doing?” with fun.
Smith, who joined the late-night present to promote his new film “Emancipation,” had tears stream down his face at factors of the interview, together with when he shared a heartfelt story about how his evening ended after the awards ceremony.
Smith mentioned he noticed his 9-year-old nephew after returning house from the Oscars.
“He is the sweetest little boy. We came home and he had stayed up late to see his uncle Will and we’re sitting in my kitchen and he’s on my lap and he’s holding the Oscar and he’s just like ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’,” Smith mentioned, tearing up.
He jokingly requested Noah “why you trying to Oprah me?” as he sniffled.
Smith added he understands how people were shocked by his violent outburst.
He mentioned he’s now studying to heal and forgive himself.
“That was one of the big things for me over this last couple of months — you know, that I had to forgive myself for being human,” Smith mentioned.
The star has been banned from attending the Academy Awards for the subsequent decade.
