Will Smith Opens Up to Trevor Noah About Oscars Slap & Bottled Up ‘Rage’ (VIDEO)

Oscar-winning actor Will Smith has addressed the infamous moment from this year’s Academy Awards, where he slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Appearing on The Daily Show on Monday (November 28) night, an emotional Smith opened up to Trevor Noah, saying of the incident, “I was gone, dude. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time. And I understand the pain.”

He continued, “My nephew, Dom, he’s nine. And he is the sweetest little boy. We came home, and he had stayed up late to see his Uncle Will. And we’re in my kitchen, and he’s sitting on my lap, and he’s holding the Oscar, and he’s just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?'”

As Smith took out a tissue to wipe away his tears, he joked with Noah, “Why are you trying to Oprah me?”

“It was a mess,” he continued. “I don’t wanna go too far into it to give people more to misunderstand.”

Earlier in the interview, the King Richard star said, “You just never know what somebody is going through,” and recalled being “the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, all of that bubbled up in that moment. That’s not who I want to be. “

Related

Chris Rock Reveals He Turned Down Invite to Host 2023 Oscars

“We just gotta be nice to each other, man,” he added. “It’s hard. I guess the thing that was most painful for me is I took my heart and made it hard for other people. I understood the idea when they say hurt people hurt people.”

Smith, who was on the show to promote his new film Emancipation, also spoke of his fears that the movie and those who worked on it won’t receive recognition because of his actions. “The idea that they might be denied because of me is like, ugh, that is killing me dead,” he said. “I hope their work will be honored and will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part.”

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Weeknights, 11/10c, Comedy Central