Jada Pinkett Smith claimed Chris Rock asked her out well before the Oscars slap, shedding new light on what may have triggered Will Smith’s anger.
Pinkett Smith sat down with Hoda Kotb in a yet-to-be released interview. Pinkett Smith also spoke about the matter during an interview with People. She said divorce rumors about her and Smith kindled in their Hollywood Circle in 2016, and Rock seized the opportunity to shoot his shot.
“Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I’d love to take you out,’” Pinkett Smith told People. “And I was like, ‘What do you mean?'” she said.
Pinkett Smith, who confirmed to Kotb that she and Will have been separated since 2016, noted Rock’s advances caught her off guard.
“He was like, ‘Well, aren’t you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No, Chris. Those are just rumors,’” she said.
Pinkett Smith went on to say, “he was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that,” she said.
Or, so she thought.
Nothing could prepare her for the night that unfolded on March 27, 2022, when Smith walked onto the Oscars stage and slapped Rock for making a joke about her.
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When asked where things stand between her and Rock now, the famous actress and talk show host said:
“Here’s my desire: I just hope that all the misunderstanding around this can be cleared up and that there can be peace,” she told People.
As for her reaction after Rock’s joke, she said, “I mean, that’s what comedians do,”
“I’ve had my feelings hurt a lot by Chris. But at the end of the day, too, being in the spotlight, it comes with the territory,” she said.
Pinkett Smith recalled tension between her and Rock over his hosting position of the 2016 Oscars that may not have been properly resolved at the time of the slap. She admitted Rock apologized to her after Smith hit him. (RELATED: Jada Smith Talks About Planning Her Suicide)
“Chris came down to the end of the stage and tried to apologize to me. He said, ‘I didn’t mean you any harm,'” she said.
Pinkett Smith has since walked away from the tension between Rock and Smith.
“I’ve got to leave that to Will and Chris to talk about, but they got their stuff for sure,” she said.