In an interview with Gayle King as part of Tribeca Film Festival’s Directors Series Monday night, Tyler Perry shed light on Will Smith‘s infamous Oscar night slap of presenter Chris Rock.
Perry was seen by Smith’s side after the assault and foul-mouthed lambasting of Rock, who’d made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. He denied he was “comforting” Smith during a commercial break.
“There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1,” Perry explained, according to People. “And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay.”
“Trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris,” Perry expressed, calling Rock “a pure champion for the way he handled it.”
He noted, “…something happened that was extremely painful for [Will] as well.”
Perry added, “That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him….”
“And I’ll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe…he did it.”
“I’m looking at this man in his eyes going, ‘What are you doing? This is your night,'” Perry recalled, explaining the incident sullied, “one of the crowning moments of his career…”
“I just read his book,” the actor continued of Smith, “and there’s this moment about not being able to protect his mother [as a child]…And if that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time. I know Will. I know him well.”
The filmmaker noted Smith is “very much in reflection” about the incident, for which the King Richard star apologized, and which got him banned from Motion Picture Academy events for 10 years.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Music notes: Taylor Swift, Bazzi and more
April 26, 2024
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has scored the biggest opening of an album in the U.K.…
‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy coming back to theaters
April 26, 2024
'The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' - New Line/WireImagePeter Jackson's…
Kevin Spacey claps back after ‘Spacey Unmasked’ documentary trailer debuts
April 26, 2024
Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty ImagesThe trailer to Spacey Unmasked, a documentary about Kevin Spacey from…
Doja Cat’s message to parents: Keep your kids away from my concerts
April 26, 2024
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for CoachellaPlenty of artists who have young fans don't seem to have…
New Music Friday: The Chainsmokers, Jason Derulo and more
April 26, 2024
It's New Music Friday, and The Chainsmokers are taking it literally. They've just released a new…
Ryan Gosling sings again in new ‘Fall Guy’ stuntman tribute
April 26, 2024
Disney/Scott KirklandRyan Gosling apparently hasn't let his pipes cool down since his "I'm Just…
Jelly Roll says he left social media for more reasons than “bullying”
April 26, 2024
Disney/Eric McCandlessIn the April 24 episode of her podcast Dumb Blonde, Jelly Roll's wife, Bunnie…
Lori Loughlin gives first interview following college admissions scandal
April 26, 2024
Loughlin on 'Curb' -- HBO/John JohnsonWhile she didn't mention the college admission scandal that…