Will Smith has spoken out about his infamous Oscars incident on his first talk show appearance since the slap heard around the world

For the first time since Will Smith infamously slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face, live on TV during the Oscars, the actor has made his first late-night TV show appearance.

Speaking on the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Smith describes the experience as “a horrible night” and explains how “hurt people hurt people.”

“I was going through something that night,” the Oscar winner went on to say, but didn’t elaborate on what that was.

A short reslap – sorry, recap

Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy AwardsChris Pizzello

The atmosphere at the 94th Academy Awards took an unexpected turn when Will Smith reacted strongly to a joke made by Chris Rock about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, particularly targeting her haircut.

Rock quipped about anticipating a sequel to “G.I. Jane,” prompting Smith to rise from his seat near the stage and approach Rock, delivering a slap.

Upon returning to his seat, Smith directed an expletive-laden admonition at Rock, demanding he refrain from mentioning his wife. Despite Rock’s attempt to clarify that it was merely a reference to the film, Smith reiterated his command.

Later in the ceremony, Smith, visibly emotional, received the Best Actor Oscar for his role in “King Richard,” marking his first Academy Award win.

The incident left both the audience at the Dolby Theatre and viewers worldwide stunned by the unexpected altercation.

Will Smith’s first interview

Will Smith appears on the Daily Show with Trevor NoahAP

Following the incident, Will Smith took to YouTube to address questions presumably from online users about the Academy Awards in a nearly 6-minute video. In it, he extended an apology to Chris Rock, acknowledging that his behavior was unacceptable and expressing his readiness to have a conversation whenever Rock was prepared.

However, Smith’s first talk show appearance since the Oscars was on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” where he discussed his upcoming film “Emancipation,” set to be released the following week. During the interview, Smith reflected on the complexities surrounding the altercation at the Oscars, stating, “There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just lost it.”

“I understand how shocking that was for people,” he told the host. “I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time.”

“It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. All of that just bubbled up in that moment,” added the actor.

Further discussing the reasons for the slap, Smith says, “I guess what I would say is that you just never know what somebody’s going through”.

Smith, who has been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, said that the idea that the hard work of the crew for his new film might be overshadowed because by his actions was “killing me dead”.

“These top artists in the world have done some of the best work of their career,” Smith explains. “I hope that their work will be honoured, and their work will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part.”

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