variety.com
29.03.2022 / 05:43
Richard Williams Speaks Out on Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars: “We Don’t Condone Anyone Hitting Anyone Else”
J. Kim Murphy Richard Williams has weighed in on Will Smith’s controversial actions at the Academy Awards on Sunday night, when the actor walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during the ceremony.Shortly after the altercation, Smith won the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the tennis coach father to Venus and Serena Williams, in “King Richard.”“We don’t know all the details of what happened,” Richard Williams told NBC News, via his son Chavoita LeSane. “But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”The incident between Smith and Rock stunned audiences, both inside the Dolby Theatre and watching from home, as it was not immediately clear whether the interaction was a staged skit.