Will Smith has a staunch defender in his King Richard co-star Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, who said he was right to slap Chris Rock for making a tasteless joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Ellis-Taylor, 57, spoke highly of Smith, 57, and labeled Rock, 61, an ‘a**hole’ during an appearance of The Daily Beast’s Obsessed podcast on Wednesday.Â
‘I know that he wanted to protect his wife, and I stand by that,’ she said. ‘I stand with him for that.’
She was, of course, speaking about the infamous Oscars 2022 moment when Smith – whose marriage has taken a shocking turn of late – walked on stage and slapped the event’s host across the face.
The strike followed Rock’s joke about Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head, which was due to alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss.
‘Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it!’ Rock said while looking directly at the area where the superstar couple were sitting.
Will Smith, 57, has a staunch defender in his King Richard co-star Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, 57; They are pictured in 2022Â
Ellis-Taylor said Smith was right to slap 2022 Oscars host Chris Rock for making a tasteless joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith
Footage showed Pinkett-Smith looking unamused and visibly rolling her eyes. Her reaction prompted her husband to lash out at the comedian.
After being slapped, Rock told the shocked audience and millions of viewers watching on TV: ‘Wow. Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.’
And after returning to his seat, Smith shouted at him: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!’
Siding with Smith, Ellis-Taylor continued on the podcast: ‘I think that, you know, this idea that First Amendment rights should protect everybody? I don’t think it should necessarily protect a**holes. I don’t. I don’t. I really don’t, especially if you’re causing harm.’
Just minutes after his outburst, Smith was announced as the winner of the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. He played Richard Williams, the driven father and coach who steered tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams to stardom.
Ellis-Taylor was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Richard’s wife, Oracene ‘Brandy’ Price – but lost out to Ariana DeBose, who played Anita in West Side Story.
The actress praised Smith as a ‘caretaker’ for the cast on the set of King Richard.
‘Will Smith is the most caretaking actor that I’ve ever worked with,’ she said, adding that he stood up for ‘background artists’ on the film.
The actress spoke highly of Smith and labeled Rock an ‘a**hole’ during an appearance of The Daily Beast’s Obsessed podcast on Wednesday
Smith’s slap followed Rock’s joke about Pinkett-Smith’s shaved head, which was due to alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss; the couple are pictured arriving to the fateful Oscar ceremony in 2022
‘I know that he wanted to protect his wife, and I stand by that,’ Ellis-Taylor said on the podcast, adding: ‘I stand with him for that’; the King Richard co-stars are pictured in 2022Â
Ellis-Taylor also praised Smith as a ‘caretaker’ for the cast on the set of King Richard; pictured at the King Richard premiere in 2021, L to R, Demi Singleton, Serena Williams, Smith, Venus Williams, Saniyya Sidney and Ellis
‘He just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence. He would just not allow it. And I cannot tell you how rare that is in this job.
‘I will always have a great deal of affection and care for him because he acted that way,’ she maintained.
The Men in Black actor faced significant consequences for his actions. While he was not arrested – Rock declined to press charges – he was banned for attending the Oscars and all related Academy events for 10 years.
Prior to the official ruling, Smith chose to resign from the Academy voluntarily.
The day after the incident, a remorseful Smith apologized to Rock via social media, writing: ‘I was out of line and I was wrong.
‘I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,’ he added.
Rock commented on the pain he experienced a year later, telling Good Morning America: ‘Anybody that says words hurt has never been punched in the face.’
