Will Smith says he was “going through something” the night he punched Chris Rock.
The ‘Emancipation’ actor took to the stage and punched the comedian following he made
a joke regarding Will’s wife, (Jada Pinkett Smith) at this year’s Oscars, and now he’s opened up regarding that “awful night.”
While appearing on ‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’, he said: “It was a horrible night, as you can imagine. You know, there are a lot of nuances and complexities. But to the end of the day, I just – I lost my mind, you know?
“And I guess what I would say is you never know what someone’s going through
by someone, you know? In the audience right now, you’re sitting next to strangers, and someone’s mother died last week. Someone’s child is sick. Someone just lost their job. Someone just found out their spouse cheated.
“It’s like – there’s all these things, and they’re strangers, and you don’t know what’s going on with people. And I was going through something that night. Not that it justifies my behaviour”.
He added: “I think the most painful thing for me is that I took my fight and made it hard for other people. I got the idea, they say
hurt people hurt people.”
Will referenced his own difficult childhood, and described his behavior
at the time as someone he doesn’t want to “be”.
He explained: “It was a lot of things. It was the little boy who
watched his father beat his mother. It all just boiled over at that point.
“I’m coming – this is not what I want to be… I was gone. It was a rage that had been bottled up for a very long time. I understand the pain.”
He also highlighted the impact of the incident on his own family.
He recalled: “It was like my nephew was nine years old. And he’s the nicest little boy. He’s like – we came home, and it’s like, he stayed up late for see his Uncle Will, and we’re sitting in my kitchen and he’s on my lap and he’s holding the Oscar and he’s just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will? “
