When Will Smith won the Oscar for his lead role in King Richard, his mother, Caroline Bright, was thrilled he'd finally received an Academy Award.
"I know how he works, how hard he works," she said in a recent interview with WPVI-TV/6abc. "And he never half steps….And I've been waiting and waiting and waiting. And when I heard the name, I was just, 'Yes!'"
Of course, she also saw what came before, when Will slapped Chris Rock onstage after the comedian, who'd been presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature Film, made a G.I. Jane joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who has a shaved head and has spoken about her alopecia diagnosis in the past. Once he returned to his seat, Will told Chris to "keep my wife's name out your f--king mouth."
Just like the rest of the viewers, Caroline was shocked by what had taken place. "He is a very even, people person," she told WPVI-TV/6abc, "and that's the first time I've ever seen him go off. The first time in his lifetime….I've never seen him do that."
Will apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees for the altercation during his acceptance speech. He also apologized to Chris in an Instagram message on March 28.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," he wrote in part of the post. "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Chris has yet to speak out about the confrontation, but according to the Los Angeles Police Department, he has declined to file a police report against Will. As for Jada, she appeared to address the incident in a March 29 Instagram post, writing, "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it." E! News has reached out to Will's, Jada's and Chris' reps but has yet to hear back.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences tweeted that it "does not condone violence of any form" and recently announced it has "officially started a formal review around the incident," noting it "will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."
Hollywood has been divided in its reaction to the incident, but if there's one person Will can count on for support, it's his mother Caroline. As she told WPVI-TV/6abc, "I am proud of him being him."