Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams has broken his silence about the slap heard across the world.
In a statement, Williams said via his son Chavoita LeSane, “We don’t know all the details of what happened, but we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”
He continued, “My father was as surprised as anyone when Will Smith suddenly retaliated against Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith on Sunday.”
He added, “I want to congratulate Will on the Oscar. It was an honor to see him win Best Actor.”
After the incident took place between Smith and Rock, the Academy also released a statement about it.
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct, and California law.”
We reported that on Sunday during the Oscars Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face after a joke was made about Jada Pinkett Smith and her shaved head.