Leslie Jones on Will Smith's Oscar slap: 'Chris Rock fell apart after the incident'

During a recent interview promoting her new memoir, SNL actress and comedian Leslie Jones got candid about her friend Chris Rock. According to Leslie, Chris experienced a breakdown after the incident at the Oscars where Will Smith slapped him for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's baldness. Leslie recalled that Chris sought counselling with his daughters because of his mental breakdown after the incident.

Leslie shared that she felt angry while watching the Oscar incident on TV and wished she could have been there in person. She believed that Chris' comment was meant to be a joke. Additionally, she suggested that Smith could have resolved the issue with Chris on the same night when he received the Best Actor Award on stage.

"He could make things right by saying something like 'bring out Chris and then I will accept the award,' which he didn't," Leslie told People Magazine.

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

At the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, Chris presented the award for Best Documentary. However, during his presentation, he made a joke about Jada, Will Smith's partner, and her baldness. Chris suggested that Jada could play the lead role in the movie GI Jane, which features a bald character portrayed by Demi Moore. Smith was angered by the comment and approached the stage, slapping Chris and telling him to refrain from mentioning his wife's name, who was struggling with alopecia.

Will Smith resigned from the Academy following the backlash received after the slap. The Academy subsequently banned him from participating in any Oscar functions for a decade.

Later on, Chris spoke about Smith's reaction in the Netflix special live show and referred to it as selective outrage. He also accused Jada of having an affair with her son's friend. Furthermore, Smith claimed that Smith hit him because he believed he could win in a physical confrontation.