In a recent interview with Good Morning Britain, Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, defended actor Will Smith for his actions at the 94th Academy Awards. Smith won best actor for his role in the biopic King Richard, where he played Williams himself.
During his acceptance speech, Smith got on stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face for comments he made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Almost a year after the incident, Williams expressed his support for Smith and even claimed he didn’t feel sorry for Rock. He told Good Morning Britain;
“I think he has done the best thing he needed to do, but I would never be disgusted with Mr Smith. Matter of fact, I appreciate Mr Smith.”
When asked if he saw any wrongdoing in what happened at the Oscars, Williams replied, “I don’t see nothing wrong with that. It’s time for everyone to forgive Will Smith.”
These comments come just a day after Rock mentioned the incident during his Netflix special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage. While he acknowledged that he was smacked by Smith, he stated that he wasn’t a victim and wouldn’t be crying on Oprah. He compared the hit to a blow from former boxer Manny Pacquiao, showing his resilience and strength.
