(NewsNation) — Chris Rock’s mother is speaking out, weeks after Will Smith slapped her son at the Oscars.
In an exclusive interview with WIS-TV’s Billie Jean Shaw, Rose Rock said she believed the slap may have been staged for the show until “he [Will Smith] started using obscenities.”
Rock told WIS-TV: “When he [Will Smith] slapped Chris, he slapped all of us,” adding: “he really slapped me.”
The so-called slap heard around the world came after Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s hair.
“You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye and you went and made her day because she was mulled over laughing when it happened,” Rock told WIS-TV.
Rose Rock, who works as a motivational speaker and youth advocate, told the TV station after the slap she reached out to her son to let him know how proud she was of his reaction. On the other hand, she said she feels “really bad” Will Smith “never apologized” to her son other than releasing a statement.
Following the shocking slap, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Smith from any academy events for 10 years. Smith previously resigned from the academy, saying he accepted and respected their decision.