Chris Rock’s Mother Rosalie Reacts to Will Smith Oscars Incident: ‘He Slapped All Of Us’
By US Magazine
Weighing in. Chris Rock’s mother, Rosalie Rock, has opened up about watching her son get slapped by Will Smith during the 94th annual Academy Awards.
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“[Will,] You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened,” Rosalie, 77, told South Carolina’s WIS News 10 on Friday, April 22.
The motivational speaker, who watched the Oscars from the comfort of her own home, told WIS’ Billie Jean Shaw that she initially thought the encounter was staged until the 53-year-old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum “started using obscenities” during the broadcast.
“When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me,” Rosalie explained, noting her pride in how her 57-year-old son handled the situation. “No one even heard his speech. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, ‘What just happened?’”
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She continued: “I feel really bad that he never apologized. I mean his people wrote up a piece [via Instagram] saying, ‘I apologize to Chris Rock,’ but you see something like that is personal, you reach out.”
The Grown Ups actor presented the Best Documentary Feature award — which was won by Questlove — during the Oscars last month. During his segment, Rock joked that Jada Pinkett Smith — who married the King Richard star in 1997 — could star in a potential G.I. Jane sequel due to her shaved head. (The Red Table Talk cohost, 50, has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia.) Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at the remark before Smith walked on stage, slapping Rock across the face.
