Denzel Washington Breaks Silence on Will Smith Oscars Slap: ‘Who Are We to Condemn?’

Will Smith's longtime friend and former "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" co-star Jazzy Jeff defended the actor, saying the Oscars slap was a "lapse in judgment." Jeff spoke about Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards during a Closed Sessions Legend Conversation at Dorian’s Through the Record Shop in Chicago. Smith slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head.

Walking it back? Amy Schumer is seemingly clearing the air after revealing she was told not to joke about Alec Baldwin‘s Rust incident at the 2022 Oscars.

Gilbert Gottfried showed support for Chris Rock in his final days. Gottfried, one of the most recognizable voices in show business, died after a long illness on Tuesday. He was 67.

DJ Jazzy Jeff has become the latest artist to wade into the Will Smith Oscars slap debate, defending the actor for his “human” reaction.Last month, Smith struck Chris Rock on-stage during the Academy Awards ceremony following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Following numerous apologies over the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and described his actions as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” before being banned from the Oscars for a decade.Since the incident, Smith has been condemned by a number of celebrities including A$AP Rocky, Janet Hubert, Jim Carrey, Amy Schumer and Zoë Kravitz, while the likes of Denzel Washington and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak have supported him.Speaking at a live event in Chicago, Jazzy Jeff – who formed the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince with Smith in 1986 and won two Grammys for ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’ and ‘Summertime’ before they split in 1994 – defended his former bandmate.“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of.

Gallery: 'Being a celebrity is. . . dumb!' Did you know these 10 celebrities HATE being famous? (BANG Showbiz)Earlier this month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Will from the Oscars for 10 years following the incident.

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Gilbert Gottfried stood up for a longtime friend in his final social media post just two weeks before his death.

The man has jokes. Trevor Noah isn’t done discussing Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards — and this time, the Daily Show host got in some jabs about the King Richard star’s punishment from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

DJ Jazzy Jeff feels for Will Smith.

controversial Oscars slap on March 27.The “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actor, 53, smacked Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards last month. Jazzy Jeff, 57, held a Closed Sessions Legend Conversation at Dorian’s Through the Record Shop in Chicago last week where he opened up about his friend and old collaborator’s eruption onstage.“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of. It was a lapse in judgment, you know?” the songwriter began.

Supporting the Fresh Prince. DJ Jazzy Jeff shared his thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars — and he stuck up for his former colleague.

addressed Will Smith’s 10-year ban from Academy events on Monday night, joking that he didn’t think the punishment was all that bad.“When I first read the headline, I thought this was the worst punishment ever. I was like, ’10 years? The Oscars, you’re ridiculous!’ ” he said. “But then I got into the details and I realized that he gets to keep his Oscar and he can still win Oscars, even though he’s banned.

Do Academy CEO Dawn Hudson and President David Rubin need to be held responsible?Oscar show producer Will Packer may have told Smith that Chris Rock wanted him to stay, but that was neither Packer nor Rock’s call (and anyway, Rock’s camp says he didn’t say anything beyond his desire not to file a police report). Hudson and Rubin were in the Dolby Theatre and could have acted far more decisively than they did when they reportedly raised the issue of Smith leaving with the actor’s publicist rather than with the star directly.

Willow Smith, 21, is “focusing” on her music and not bothered by Saturday Night Live‘s recent comedy sketches about her father. The singer gave an incredible performance along with Camila Cabello for the duo’s song “Psychofreak” on the April 9th episode of the live series, which took place one week after the show included several comedic scenes about Will Smith‘s infamous slap at the Oscars.

Winning! Maddie & Tae’s Maddie Marlow stole the 2022 CMT Music Awards show with her heartfelt acceptance speech — as partner Tae Dye watched from home — on Monday, April 11.

Shortly after Will Smith, 53, walked on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock, 57, in the head for a joke he made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 50, at this year’s Oscars, LAPD said that Chris would not be pressing charges against Will — a decision that left many stunned. However, just because Chris did not choose to press charges against the fallen Best Actor winner when the incident occurred does NOT mean that he can’t still pursue such action, as Los Angeles-based criminal attorney Lara Yeretsian told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Chris has “one year to change his mind!”

Gayle King is weighing in on the most recent development in the ongoing aftermath of Will Smith hitting Chris Rock in the face during this year's Oscars.The veteran TV news journalist sparkled in a gorgeous, custom, pink Marc Bouwer gown on the red carpet at the 2022 CMT Music Awards on Monday in Nashville, and she spoke with ET's Rachel Smith about the latest turn in the Hollywood scandal — namely, Smith being banned from attending Academy events for the next 10 years.«I think the whole thing is so unfortunate,» King shared, adding, «I think there have to be consequences to your actions.»«I have no idea what's right, what's wrong, I don't. But the whole thing makes me so sad, because I like them both,» she added.According to King, she's «really pulling» for Chris Rock following the high-profile incident, sharing, «I just want him to be fine.»«And it seems Will is very regretful and very remorseful, and that's an important first step,» King shared.The decision to ban Smith from future Academy events was announced on Friday.In a letter addressed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences family, and obtained by ET, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said the Board of Governors in a Friday meeting concluded that «for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr.

Chris Rock has no interest in talking about his conflict with Will Smith and the controversial Oscars slap, unless he is offered a large amount of money.The comedian recently shared his thoughts about the whole situation during one of his comedy sets at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in California, revealing that he is “Okay” and that he has “a whole show,” so he is “not talking about that” until he gets paid, adding, “Life is good. I got my hearing back.”It was previously reported that Will and Chris were in speaking terms following the incident, however Chris’ brother Tony Rock revealed on social media that this was not the case.Many celebrities have shared their thoughts on the incident following the televised Oscars ceremony, including co-host Amy Schumer who confessed she was still triggered and traumatized by the slap, and actress Rachel Zegler, who avoided picking sides, saying, “I feel like it’s none of my business.”After the situation Chris declined to press charges and Will shared a public apology, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris.

Offering his thoughts on the matter. After Will Smith made headlines for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, the comedian has found his own way to address the drama.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s marriage has been at the recieving end of a lot of public scrutiny over the years, with longstanding rumors insisting the pair had an open marriage. While the couple has since denied those musings about their marriage, they did let fans in on a very intimate time in their union when the Girls Trip actress was in a relationship with someone else.The Academy bans Will Smith from the Oscars for the next 10 yearsWill Smith’s upcoming projects paused after Oscars incidentWill Smith resigns from the Academy after hitting Chris Rock, ‘I am heartbroken’In July 2020, Jada centered an episode of her series The Red Table Talk around herself to reveal that she had a relationship with R&B singer August Alsina while separated from her husband.

Viola Davis sat down with the incomparable Oprah Winfrey to discuss her life, career, and her upcoming autobiography Finding Me.Oprah + Viola: A Netflix Special Event, will air on the popular digital streaming platform on April 22, four days before the release of Davis’s new memoir. In the 48-minute interview, Davis spoke about the many struggles she encountered during her childhood, and her journey to becoming the actress – and woman – that she is today.“Sharing my story is incredibly frightening but liberating,” Davis said to Oprah Daily in October of last year.

Rob Lowe-Snow White production number. The Academy infuriated rank-and-file members by pre-taping eight below-the-line awards to trim the ceremony (which still managed to run 20 minutes longer than last year).

Going around town. Chris Rock spills more about how he felt after Will Smith got banned from the Oscars. During his on-going comedy tour, Rock talked about what he could and couldn’t say about the Academy’s decision to ban the King Richard actor after his infamous slap.

The hosts of “The View” have mixed feelings over the Academy’s decision to ban Will Smith from all events and programs, including the Oscars, for 10 years.

Jada Pinkett Smith made her first red carpet appearance over the weekend following the much-talked-about Oscar altercation between Will Smith and Chris Rock.MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith showcases baby bump in gorgeous photoNow fully back on social media, the star has been sharing pictures from her weekend, including a proud moment involving her daughter Willow Smith.Taking to Instagram, the A Different World actress shared a picture of her daughter and Camila Cabello posing together backstage at Saturday Night Live.VIDEO: Will Smith punches Chris Rock at the OscarsIn the caption, Jada wrote: "Who got to see these two talented beauties @willowsmith @camila_cabello on SNL last night?"MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith makes red carpet return following Oscars nightMORE: Jada Pinkett Smith looks like a Bond girl at Critics' Choice AwardsThe Hollywood star added a series of emojis including a love heart and a flexing muscle alongside her message.Jada also shared pictures from her night out on Saturday too, where she stepped out in a dazzling gold gown to support her friend Debbie Allen for the opening of her Dance Academy. Jada Pinkett Smith paid tribute to her daughter Willow SmithAlongside photos of her walking the red carpet, Jada wrote: "@therealdebbieallen said wrap it all in gold and come let the kids fill your soul.

Kodak moment. As a tsunami wave of controversy continues to plague the “Girls Trip” star and husband Will Smith, 53, in the wake of the latter’s career-threatening Oscars 2022 slap, rapper Kodak Black, 24, is weighing in on their marital mayhem with a both a reprimand and a proposal for Pinkett Smith, 50. In doing so, the always controversial Kodak also managed to take a bombshell swipe at the street cred of late hip-hop legend Tupac Shakur, TMZ first reported.“Jada Pinkett, baby you is out of pocket,” Kodak chastised Saturday during a foul-mouthed Instagram Live, which is now going viral on Twitter.“Come f–k with Kodak. That’s what you need to do, because you’re on some bulls–t,” he added.

Will Smith’s punishment from the Academy was enough. But for Joy Behar, it was nothing to write home about. On Friday, it was announced that Smith has been barred from the Oscars for 10 years as a consequence of him slapping Chris Rock during the awards ceremony last month.

Zack Sharf Michael Bay told Entertainment Weekly that he would “absolutely” work with Will Smith after the actor slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. Bay directed Smith in two of his signature action movies, “Bad Boys” and “Bad Boys II,” which together grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office. Smith returned to the franchise in 2020 with the third entry, “Bad Boys for Life,” which earned $426 million worldwide and featured Bay in a cameo role.“Absolutely, 100 percent,” Bay said when asked about working with Smith again.

Desert Sun.Rock was assaulted by Smith at the Oscars last month after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, being bald.The comedian previously addressed the event at a comedy show just days after the Oscars, saying, “I don’t have a bunch of s— about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” Rock said. “I’m still kind of processing what happened.

Jada Pinkett Smith seems to be distancing herself from the infamous Oscars slap, and brand experts tell Fox News Digital it might be a wise move. Pinkett Smith and husband Will Smith made headlines after Will slapped Chris Rock in the face over a joke Rock told while presenting an award at the 94th annual Academy Awards.

Chris Rock is done talking about that infamous Oscars moment – for now.

Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley show off their awards after winning big at the 2022 Olivier Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday (April 10) in London, England.

Billy Porter is weighing in on the headline-grabbing Oscars slap, and what he felt it represented about the societal perception of masculinity.ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Porter at the grand opening of the Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center, home of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, in Los Angeles on Saturday, and he shared his take on the incident and its aftermath.Will Smith's actions at the 2022 Oscars have been at the forefront of public discourse since the moment he took the stage to hit Chris Rock during the live show. Now, less than two weeks later, Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, and Porter says it's tough to really address the altercation.«It's a really rough one for me, you know, because I don't know that I have the authority to speak on it.

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Jada Pinkett Smith is back on the red carpet. The 50-year-old actress had her first public appearance on Saturday night since The Academy banned Will Smith from the Oscars for slapping Chris Rock.  Pinkett Smith was joined by Shonda Rhimes and Debbie Allen at the grand opening of the Rhimes Performing Arts Center, which will also be the home for Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy.  Jada Pinkett Smith made her first public appearance since the 2022 Oscars on Saturday night.

Stepping out. Jada Pinkett Smith was photographed on the red carpet for the first time since her husband, Will Smith, slapped Chris Rock at the 94th annual Academy Awards.