What Did Tyler Perry Say To Will Smith After The Chris Rock Oscar Slap? He Opens Up To Gayle King About The Tense Evening
Tyler Perry cleared the air about what was said to Will Smith after the King Richard actor slapped comedian Chris Rock over a joke made about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's shaved head.
While talking to Gayle King at a Tribeca Film Festival Q&A on Monday, Perry was very open about Smith being at fault, while still having sympathy for his friend:
"I was there, close up. I left early to go check on Chris because it 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. And I'm looking at this man in his eyes going, 'What are you doing? This is your night.'"
He continued:
"And to get all the way to this moment, winning an Oscar, that was one of the crowning moments of his career that he wanted so desperately. And to have something like that happen, I think he is very much in reflection of trying to figure out what happened."
Perry also discussed his shock and understanding for the incident on both sides,
"And trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris, who was a pure champion for the way he handled it. 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."
They say time heals all wounds. We'll just have to wait and see if these two stars can put this whole messy business behind them.
