Will Smith has been left devastated after slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars, filmmaker Tyler Perry said.
The 52-year-old, who was seen on stage with Smith after the notorious slapping incident, said that he was ‘deescalating’ the situation and not trying to comfort the actor.
In an on-stage conversation with Gayle King, Tyler talked about several topics including the slap. He explained: “There’s a difference between comforting and deescalating, that’s No. 1.”
Tyler continued: “And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay. Being friends with both of them has been very difficult.”
He said that it was a painful moment for everyone, adding that Chris should not only be commended for the way he handled the situation but there should also be ‘understanding’ for Smith.
“But I want you to understand that something happened that was extremely painful for (Will) as well. That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him — that is so out of everything he is.”
Tyer said that the slapping incident was “wrong in no uncertain terms, and I made sure I said that to Will.”
“And I’ll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe what happened. He couldn’t believe he did it,” he continued.
The filmmaker also said that he believes Smith’s childhood trauma had somehow played a role in the way he reacted to Rock’s remarks about his wife.
“If that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time,” he said.
This comes only weeks after Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett addressed the slapping incident.
She said that she hopes Smith and Rock will ‘reconcile’ and have the ‘opportunity to heal.’
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