Smith won his first Oscar on Sunday night for his portrayal of Williams as King Richard, but the victory was overshadowed by the slap.
The spectacle has divided opinion, with some arguing that Smith was right after Rock made a joke about the actor’s wife – Jada Pinkett Smith – and her hair loss.
Others – including Serena and Venus Williams’s half-sister and Richard’s estranged daughter – said it was an attack and that Smith should withdraw his award.
Speaking through his son and Chavoita LeSane spokesman, Richard Williams told NBC News: “We do not know all the details of what happened, but we do not allow anyone to hit anyone else unless it is for self-defense.”
“We do not approve of anyone hitting anyone else”: Richard Williams spoke about the shocking Oscar incident on Sunday that saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock
Will Smith (right) hits Chris Rock as Rock speaks on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, March 27, 2022
LeSane said his father was shocked when Smith suddenly stormed the Oscar stage and hit Rock in the face after the joke. Rock had compared Jada Pinkett Smith – who suffers from the medical condition alopecia – to “GI Jane”.
Returning to his seat, an enraged Smith, 53, shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your mouth!” – shocking the crowd.
Williams’ son, who has been acting as his father’s spokesman since the 80-year-old suffered a stroke, declined to comment further when asked by NBC to comment on Smith’s acceptance speech.
But Sabrina, the eldest and widest daughter of Richard Williams, slapped the actor for his slap and subsequent speech and demanded that he be stripped of his award and excluded from future Oscars.
The 57-year-old told the Sun that Smith went to sea and that there was “time and place” to settle the dispute. She also said she had alopecia and could be related to Jada Pinkett Smith – but added that she did not justify Smith’s violence.
“If they do not take his thing, he should be barred from attending the event again, as this is simply ridiculous,” he told the British tabloid. “I have no sympathy for him because he is just irresponsible.”
He also offered Smith advice and accused him of being a “eligible actor” because he was able to go on stage and slap Rock – in front of millions of people – and face no punishment.
In previous interviews, Sabrina has criticized her father for removing Betty’s first wife and mother. The first thirty years of Richard Williams’s life were ignored in King Richard’s film and so Sabrina’s family was not portrayed.
Venus Williams (left) and Serena Williams attend the 94th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood and Highland on March 27
Serena Williams (right) celebrates with her father Richard Williams and sister Venus Williams after winning her Wingbledon Singles final on July 7, 2012 in London
Richard Williams had previously been investigated in 1999 for allegations of domestic violence against Serena and Aphrodite’s mother, Oraten, before they divorced in 2002.
A police report at the time said Ms. Williams had suffered three rib fractures, which Richard later said were caused by a jet ski accident.
Richard denied the allegations, but when asked later about her injuries by a National Enquirer reporter, Oracene said: “I do not jet-ski.”
In an obvious reference to this, Sabrina told the Sun: “I did [Will Smith] to learn violence from my dad too? “Maybe he took the thing very literally.”
Speaking on stage after receiving the Protagonist Award, a tearful Smith referred to Richard Williams when he tried to justify the outburst, while apologizing.
He said he was a tough defender of his family – just like the character of the tennis dad from “King Richard”. He said he felt protected by many – including his wife.
“I look like the crazy father, as they said about Richard Williams. “But love will make you do crazy things.”
“Richard Williams was a tough defender of his family,” Smith told the Hollywood elite as he began his acceptance speech, a reference to Williams’ famous defense in the air of his daughters in a 1995 television interview.
“Art imitates life,” he continued. “I look like the crazy father, as they said about Richard Williams. “But love will make you do crazy things.”
He later apologized to many people – including Venus and Serena Williams – but did not mention Rock in his apology.
A tearful Will Smith gives a speech of acceptance after winning the Protagonist Award for his role in “King Richard”, in which he portrays Richard Williams – the father of Serena and Venus.
Smith then went on to say that he is the protector of those who worked with him on the film, such as Aunjanue Ellis alongside Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, the two actors who played Venus and Serena.
“I have been called in my life to love people and protect people and to be a river to my people,” Smith said – after winning his first Oscar.
“I know how to do what we do, so that you can accept the abuse. You need to be able to get people to talk crazy about you. In this business, you have to be able to have people who do not respect you. “And you have to smile and pretend it’s okay.”
Williams has coached his daughters to play tennis since he was four and a half years old, putting them both on the road to becoming world-class tennis champions.
Serena Williams has won all four major tennis matches – the Wimbledon, the US Open, the French Open and the Australian Open. Venus Williams has won both Wimbledon and the US Open. As a doubles team, they have also won all four events.
Especially Serena Williams is considered one of the best – if not the best – tennis player of all time.
Despite being sisters, the couple encouraged intense rivalry and often met in Championship finals – blocking each other from glory.
They have played in 31 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 19 and losing 12. Of those, nine matches were in Grand Slam singles finals.
However, their rivalry has never diminished their proximity, as they often appear together at events – including Sunday’s Oscars.
They teamed up with a number of celebrities in the green room at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and were taken by surprise by the distrust as they watched Smith invade the stage during the Rock Awards and slap him.
“It went very quietly,” a source in the green room told the Hollywood Reporter at the time of the incident. “Everyone was saying, ‘What’s going on?’ Has this just happened ?! Oh my God!’ “People were panting,” said another expert.
Serena Williams shared her shock in her stories on Instagram, sharing a short video with her face down.
Her original video has no words, allowing her facial expression to speak for itself.
“I just sat down, because I wanted to put this drink down because …” 40-year-old Williams said in another video a few moments later, opening her eyes.
The tennis champion may have hesitated to condemn Smith very clearly, as she was at the Oscars on Sunday night for the film in which she also starred as a producer. She and her sister Venus, 41, also have executive producer titles for the film.
However, Instagram videos – and in particular the second one, in which she gives a sideways glance and wrinkles her forehead – seem to indicate that she did not approve of Smith’s outburst.
Serena Williams shared her reaction which was very surprising to speak when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars on Sunday night.
“I just sat down, because I wanted to, I had to put this drink down because …” Serena says in another video a few moments later, opening her eyes.
As soon as the ceremony ended in a commercial break, the outgoing CEO of the Oscars, Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin, along with the Oscar spokesman, ran behind the scenes and showed “how serious” and “walked very, very fast in a private room “with Smith. Representative, Meredith O’Sullivan Wasson.
Sources said Hudson and Rubin never returned to the audience. Wasson reportedly spent several commercial breaks traveling between the background and Smith’s seat, where she spoke with the actor.
Jada Pinkett Smith, who was seen holding her husband’s hand, also reportedly consulted with her representatives during this time.
Rock failed to return to the green room after the presentation of the award for best documentary.
As chaos broke out on stage, Oscar producers and director Glenn Weiss decided to continue the live show as it became clear that the slap was not funny and had caused a serious quarrel.
“You started to realize that this was true when Chris, who certainly knows the limits of broadcasting standards, said, ‘Will Smith smacked me,’ ‘ABC’s Rob Mills, who was in the production trailer at the time. , he told Variety. “Then it became clear that it was not funny.”
Serena and Venus Williams (pictured) were behind the scenes during the outburst. Insiders also said they saw Jake Gyllenhaal, Zoe Kravitz, Kevin Costner, Anthony Hopkins, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman and John Travolta behind the scenes.
No statement: Serena and Venus Williams (photo on Sunday celebrating Smith’s Oscars) have not yet officially spoken about the shocking slap
King Richard: Will won his first Oscar on Sunday night for his performance of Williams, but the victory was overshadowed by the slap
The network censor removed the sound from the show for a long time, leaving many American viewers confused. Mills argued that often, in such situations, officials err on the side of attention.
“When you press the button, something that was not me, but our role models were our people, I think you are obviously going to over-correct rather than allow …
