Actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are reportedly in agreement that the King Richard star overreacted when he got physical with comedian Chris Rock onstage at the 94th Academy Awards.
An insider told US Weekly that while Pinkett Smith is not "angry with" her husband, she wishes he had not slapped the comedian to defend her. "It was in the heat of the moment and it was him overreacting," they said. "He knows that, she knows that. They're in agreement that he overreacted."
The source continued, "She's not one of these women that needs protecting. He didn’t need to do what he did, she didn't need protecting. She's not a wallflower. She's a strong woman, an opinionated woman and she can fight her own battles." They went onto say that even though Pinkett Smith does not agree with her husband's actions that night, she will continue to "stand by him" and has not let the altercation impact their relationship.
"They stick together through thick and thin. They have been through a lot together and this is just another battle for them," the source said before adding that Pinkett Smith "adores and loves her husband" and that her and Smith are an "unbreakable couple [that] will be together forever."
The slap seen by millions around the world occurred when Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars this year. After the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, Smith stormed onto stage and slapped Rock across the face, before sitting back down and yelling at Rock to keep his wife's name "out of [his] fucking mouth." Pinkett Smith has publicly shared her struggles with alopecia, a medical condition that has caused her to experience hair loss from the scalp.
Since the incident, Smith has apologized to Rock directly on Instagram. "I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be," he wrote. "I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress." Smith then voluntarily resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after the Board of Governors initiated disciplinary proceedings against the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor. "My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable," Smith said in a statement. "The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home."
Rock has chosen not to press assault charges with the Los Angeles Police Department against Smith. He stated at the beginning of his first stand-up show after the altercation that he was "still kind of processing what [had] happened."
Source: US Weekly