Tyler Perry recently opened up about his experience of being an eye-witness to the Oscars slap incident. As we all know, the 2022 Oscars night was dominated by a very disheartening incident. Best Actor winner Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The consequences came with a 10- year-long ban from Oscars for the actor.
Tyler Perry was the one who was seen consoling Will after the incident during a commercial break. The film mogul has finally addressed the moments following the infamous slap. Not only that, but Tyler has also revealed the aftermath of it and how he is maintaining his friendship with Will and Chris Rock.
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“I Was There Close Up”: Tyler Perry Shares His Experience Of Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars Slap
Nearly three months after the infamous slap incident, Tyler Perry has decided to open up about the whole matter during a sit-down with Gayle King at the Tribeca Film Festival. “My only problem with it is this: if I talk about it, then it becomes overshadowing of everything else we talked about. That will be the headline for sure,” Perry said.
“I was there close up. I left early to go and check on Chris because it was wrong in no uncertain terms and I made sure I said that to Will,” he added. Perry also spoke about how social media portrayed him in a bad light as he was seen consoling Will after the incident. “There is a difference between comforting and de-escalating,” Perry said. “Being friends with both of them has been very difficult.”
“I Know That Feeling”: Perry Empathizes Will Smith
The conversation went on when King asked if he has spoken to Smith since the ‘King Richard’ star faced the consequences. Perry said Smith was in a “devastated” phase because of the ban. “Trust me, as painful as it was for all of us in the room, it was as painful for Chris, who was a pure champion for the way he handled it,” Perry continued. “But I want you to understand that something happened that was extremely painful for [Will] as well. That is no excuse. He was completely wrong for what he did. But something triggered him—that is so out of everything he is.”
“[Will] couldn’t believe what happened. He couldn’t believe he did it. And I’m looking at this man, in my eyes going, ‘What are you doing? This is your night…and to get all this way to winning an Oscar. It was one of the crowning moments of his career that he wanted so desperately,” Perry said.
“I think he is very much in reflection, trying to figure out what happened,” Perry added. “I know that feeling — I’m getting chills just thinking about it. I know that feeling of being a man and thinking about the little boy. And if that trauma is not dealt with right away, as you get older it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time. I know Will. I know him well.”
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