Jada Pinkett Smith’s First Words to Will Smith After He Ruined the Biggest Night of His Career by Slapping Chris Rock Over a Joke

Jada Pinkett Smith has dropped some major plot twists in her seemingly happy marriage to Will Smith. While disclosing that she has been living separately from the actor since 2016, she also shared that she was as clueless as the audience about the Oscar slap incident at the time. She detailed the events that transpired at the Oscars, along with other aspects of her life, in her memoir, Worthy.

Jada Pinkett Smith
In the book, Smith revealed that she initially thought the whole slap incident was a skit. While she anticipated something similar from Chris Rock, Smith’s reaction took her aback. When they were alone, the Red Table Talk host’s first words to him were, “Are you okay?”.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith at the Oscars 2022

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith had been perfectly concealing their separation from the public eye. By this point, everything about their marriage and how it survived through tough times had been an inspiration to many fans. With this revelation, not only does every aspect of their very public life become questionable, but also the infamous Oscar slap incident.

People magazine featured Jada Pinkett Smith and her book as their cover story for the latest issue. After 18 months of silence on the Oscar slap incident, Smith finally opened up about it. At first, the Girls Trip actress thought that the Focus actor and Chris Rock had collaborated on a skit until she realized they had not. Jada Pinkett Smith told People:

“I thought, ‘This is a skit.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him.’ It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit.”

Jada Smith was asked about the conversation she had with the Oscar-winning actor after he ruined one of the biggest moments in his career. The first words she spoke to her husband after the infamous incident were, “Are you okay?”. In her book, Worthy, she goes into further detail about the Oscar controversy.

Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir, Worthy

Jada Pinkett Smith detailed the Oscar controversy in her memoir
In the controversial incident, Oscar host Chris Rock took a dig at Jada Pinkett Smith’s health condition, alopecia, that resulted in her hair loss.

Rock made the comment, “Jada, I love ya, G.I. Jane Two, can’t wait to see it.” Will Smith came to his wife’s defense, shouting from the crowd “Keep my wife’s name out your f**kin’ mouth.” He then went up to Rock on the stage and slapped him across his face.

In an excerpt released by People Magazine from her memoir, Worthy, Smith revealed every detail of this incident. She shared that she had expected this from Chris Rock, who had made fun of her at the 2016 Oscars too.

While she admitted that Rock meant no harm with the joke, The Matrix Revolutions actress criticized the ignorance of Rock as well as the so-called “politically correct” Oscar committee.

However, she was surprised by the Emancipation actor’s reaction, as they had been living separate lives at that point. Smith wrote in her book (via People):

“It’s not until Will yells from his seat back up at Chris to “keep my wife’s name out your f**kin’ mouth,” and then repeats it, that I perceive the gravity of the situation, and that, no, it had not been a skit. Even so, I am unclear on the reason why Will is so upset. We had been living separate lives and were there as family, not as husband and wife. But when I hear Will yell “wife” in the chaos of the moment, an internal shift of ‘Oh sh*t… I am his wife!’ happens instantly.”

The Hawthorne actress’s Memoir will be available in stores across the country on October 17, while a pre-order option is currently available.