DJ Jazzy Jeff Comments On Will Smith Oscars Slap
DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith's longtime collaborator, is now speaking out and defending the actor's viral Oscars slap.
According to PEOPLE, Jeff attended the Closed Sessions Legend Conversation event at Dorian's Through the Record Shop in Chicago; Jeff was asked what he thought about the controversial incident. He believes there was "a lapse in judgment" on the part of Smith.
“I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him,” said Jazzy Jeff.
Adding, “I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the sh*t out of somebody, and he didn’t. … So, for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”
On Mar. 27, Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face as he was preparing to present the award for “Best Documentary” at the 94th Academy Awards. The slap occurred after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Smith went on to win his first Oscar for “Best Actor” for his lead role in King Richard; he also apologized to Rock and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in an official statement before resigning from The Academy.
After a formal review was conducted, it was announced on Apr. 8 that Smith would be banned from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.
Rock has yet to address the incident formally and has stated that he will remain tight-lipped until he receives some form of compensation.
