Willow Smith is still rocking with her dad Will Smith even though others might not, after the actor slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the 94th annual Academy Awards last March after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
During a recent Billboard interview published on Aug. 5, the 21-year-old opened up about the viral incident and how she views her family, telling reporters that it didn’t stifle her artistry or “rock me as much as my own internal demons.”
“I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness,” she explained. “Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.”
The “Transparent Soul” singer seemingly weighed in on the issue two days after the awards ceremony sharing a quote via her Instagram Stories. “You know who’s going through a lot right now? Literally everyone,” the memo stated. “Just be kind.”
Willow’s remarks come just days after her father issued a lengthy statement in his first appearance since the Oscars, during which he formally apologized to Rock. The “King Richard” star explained that he didn’t say sorry during his award acceptance speech because he was “fogged out by that point” but reiterated he was sorry for striking the comic.
“I’ve reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out,” the “Bad Boys” star explained. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
He maintained that “there is no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults” and that his decision to strike the comedian was his own and “Jada had nothing to do with it.”
Smith was subsequently banned from all Academy Awards events, virtual and in-person, for the next ten years and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
