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Richard Williams Publicly Condemns Will Smith’s Actions at the Oscars

The slap seen all around the world, as a result of Will Smith and Chris Rock’s on-stage scuffle at the 2022 Oscars, has been addressed by the actual King Richard.

The real-life father of Serena and Venus Williams, who was played by Smith in the film and won an Oscar, spoke to NBC News about the situation. Chavoita LeSane, 48, the son of Richard, released a statement on behalf of his father.

“We don’t know all the details of what happened,” the statement read.

“But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”

According to LaSane, his father is unable to speak for himself because he has suffered a stroke, but he did say that his father was genuinely shocked by the news.

In his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Will Smith drew a parallel between him and the Williams patriarch. It occurred only a short time after the well-known slap.

“I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams,” Smith said during the speech.

“But love will make you do crazy things.”

Both Serena and Venus were in attendance during the slap, but so far neither has commented on the matter.

On Monday afternoon, Smith released another statement expressing regret to Rock personally, something he didn’t do during his acceptance speech despite the fact that he apologized to the Academy and those watching.

“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.”

After the event, the Academy issued a joint statement condemning Smith’s behavior and announcing that a formal investigation had begun to examine whether Smith had broken the organization’s standards of conduct.

“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.”

Rock, who hasn’t spoken out since quitting mid-performance after the slap, has chosen not to pursue charges against Smith.

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