Jada Pinkett Smith Says Will Was ‘Mad’ When Chris Rock Tried Apologizing Directly After Oscars Slap

Jada Pinkett Smith reveals Will Smith’s reaction to Chris Rock’s attempt to apologize to her right after the 2022 Oscars incident.

In a preview of her conversation with Hod Kotb that aired in its entirety Friday night on NBC, The Worthy the author recalled how Chris (58) approached her at the Oscars after the moment Will (55) punched him on stage, after the comedian joked about Jada’s shaved head.

“Chris looks at me and says, ‘Jada, I didn’t mean anything bad,’” said Jada, 52. “I’m just out of it because I’m really worried about Will. And Will is still talking. Now he’s mad because Chris is talking to me. And I say, ‘Chris, this is about someone old with…’. That’s all I could say, right? Me too I couldn’t really accept his apology.”

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Jada Pinkett Smith Says She Thought Oscars Slap Was ‘Jump’… ‘Until I Realized It Wasn’t’ (Exclusive)

Jada also reflected on this moment in an extensive interview with PEOPLE.

“Chris came down to the end of the stage and tried to apologize to me,” she told PEOPLE. “He said: ‘I meant you no harm.’ I said, ‘I can’t talk about this now, Chris. This is someone old with…’. ”

“I’ll have to leave it up to Will and Chris to talk about it, but they certainly got theirs,” Jada added.

A rep for Chris did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Chris Rock; Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; David Livingston/Getty

Jada said she was so taken aback that at first she thought the slap “was a joke.”

“From where I was sitting, I couldn’t tell. It didn’t look like Will hit Chris, because, number one, I’ve seen Will in a boxing ring with professional fighters — Will is a heavy hitter,” she said.

“So when Chris moved, it looked like he ducked or missed the shot. And when he kept standing, and then when he kept walking down to the end of the stage, I said, ‘No way. There’s no way he Will hit.’ ”

“It wasn’t until Will started walking back to his chair that I realized it wasn’t a skit,” Jada added. “I was as foggy as anyone else in that room that night.”

Chris Rock; Jada Pinkett Smith. Getty (2) Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Relationship Timeline

Jada also reveals in her book that Chris once asked her out, telling PEOPLE, “I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting divorced. And this summer, Chris, he thought we were going to divorce.”

“He called me like that and basically said, ‘I’d like to take you out.’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ ” she continued. “He said, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will going to get a divorce?’ I said, ‘No. Chris, it’s just a rumour.’ ”

“He was disgusted. And he apologized profusely and that was it,” added the actress.

Jada’s entire interview with Kotb airs in its entirety Friday at 8:00 PM ET on NBC.

Her new memoir, Worthyhits bookshelves everywhere on October 17th.

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Source: HIS Education