Chris Rock’s mum says Will Smith ‘slapped all of us’ when he hit her son at Oscars

Will Smith (right) hits Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 27, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Chris Rock’s mum was rocked by the Oscars slap.

Rose Rock originally believed she was watching a staged skit when Will Smith slapped her son at last month’s Academy Awards, but realised it was no joke once Smith “started using obscenities,” she told South Carolina news station WIS.

“When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us,” Rose Rock, a motivational speaker, told the TV outlet.

“He really slapped me,” she said.

Smith walked onstage during the March 27 ceremony in Hollywood and slapped Rock over a joke the comedian told about the shaved head of the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Pinkett Smith has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.

Shortly after the slap, Smith won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father in the biopic King Richard. He apologised to Rock the following day.

Smith has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was later banned from attending the Oscars over the next 10 years following an investigation by the Academy.

Rose Rock, who is from South Carolina, didn’t attend the Oscars with Chris Rock this year, and told WIS that she’s proud of how her son, who remained onstage and presented an award, reacted after the incident.

She said of Smith, “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.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service