Serena Williams spoke publicly for the first time about actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars last year.
Smith portrayed the tennis legend’s father in the biopic “King Richard,” which Williams executive produced with his sisters.
During an interview on “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday, host Gayle King addressed the incident, saying “‘King Richard’ had that moment at the Oscars.”
“How do you feel about that?” he asked Williams.
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“I thought it was an amazing film, and I felt that there was an amazing film after Questlove that was somewhat overshadowed,” answered the 23-time Grand Slam winner, referring to “Summer of Soul,” the Oscar-winning. documentary provided when the dispute erupted.
“But, I also felt that I was in a position where I was under a lot of pressure and I made a lot of mistakes,” he added. “And I’m the kind of person who’s like ― ‘I’ve been there. I was wrong. It’s not the end of the world.’”
“We’re all imperfect and we’re all human, and let’s just be nice to each other,” he added, telling viewers that that kind of sentiment “is often forgotten.”
At the 2022 awards show, Rock joked on stage about the appearance of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who is open about having alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
Hearing the joke, Smith yelled at Rock before going on stage to slap him.
Four months ago, the “Bad Boys” actor released a nearly six-minute video on his YouTube channel to address the controversy. He said he “deeply regrets” his actions and called his behavior “unacceptable.”
Smith was banned from attending the Oscars, or any other Academy Award-related event or program, for 10 years.
