{"id":43806,"date":"2026-08-14T07:09:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T02:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43806"},"modified":"2026-08-14T07:09:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T02:09:02","slug":"will-smiths-co-star-defends-oscars-slap-calls-chris-rock-an-a-hole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=43806","title":{"rendered":"Will Smith&#8217;s co-star defends Oscars slap, calls Chris Rock an &#8216;a&#8211;hole&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2026%2F08%2F137318986.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Will Smith\u2019s \u201cKing Richard\u201d co-star, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, understands why the actor publicly <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2022\/03\/27\/will-smith-slaps-chris-rock-over-bald-jada-joke-at-oscars-2022\/\">slapped Chris Rock<\/a> at the Oscars several years ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that he wanted to protect his wife,\u201d the actress said of the infamous moment, which saw Smith <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2022\/03\/29\/will-smiths-slap-could-cost-him-2023-oscar-nomination\/\">lash out <\/a>over the comedian\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2022\/03\/28\/chris-rock-ad-libbed-jada-pinkett-smith-bald-joke-at-oscars-2022\/\">joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith\u2019s closely cropped hair <\/a>at the 2022 event.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stand by that,\u201d Ellis-Taylor added, during a recent episode of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/obsessed\/will-smiths-on-screen-wife-aunjanue-ellis-taylor-still-stands-by-his-oscars-slap\/?utm_source=twitter_owned_snd&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=owned_social\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Daily Beast\u2019s \u201cObsessed\u201d podcast<\/a>. \u201cI stand with him for that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The onstage slap came just before the \u201cMen in Black\u201d star <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/27\/will-smith-wins-best-actor-oscar-after-chris-rock-punch\/?_ga=2.2926320.1986046301.1648419258-190215231.1611328768&amp;_gl=1*1fer03*_gcl_au*MTEyMDMxNjEzOC4xNzg2MDQwNjcw*_ga*MzI2MzY3MTk1LjE3NTQ2NzU1OTY.*_ga_0DZ7LHF5PZ*czE3ODY2NDg1MzYkbzU3OSRnMSR0MTc4NjY1Mzc4NiRqNTYkbDAkaDA.\">nabbed Best Actor <\/a>for his role as Richard Williams, opposite onscreen wife Ellis-Taylor as Oracene \u201cBrandi\u201d Price \u2014 who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, seen above in 2025, defended \u201cKing Richard\u201d co-star Will Smith and lashed out at Chris Rock over the infamous 2022 Oscars slap incident. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for Vanity Fair<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>\u201cI know that he wanted to protect his wife,\u201d Ellis-Taylor said of the moment Smith slapped Rock, as seen above.  <span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI think that, you know, this idea that First Amendment rights should protect everybody? I don\u2019t think it should necessarily protect a\u2013holes,\u201d Ellis-Taylor explained. \u201cI don\u2019t. I don\u2019t. I really don\u2019t, especially if you\u2019re causing harm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The actress made it clear that she\u2019s disturbed by First Amendment protections being used to justify defending the Confederate flag. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know blanket First Amendment valorization,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t buy into that. I just don\u2019t. To say the least, it needs to be nuanced. You can\u2019t use it as an excuse to harm someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>\u201cYou can\u2019t use [the First Amendment] as an excuse to harm someone,\u201d the actress, seen here with Smith in March 2022, said during a recent episode of the Daily Beast\u2019s  \u201cObsessed\u201d podcast.  <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for SBIFF<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption> \u201cHe just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence,\u201d she said of working with Smith on \u201cKing Richard.\u201d She\u2019s pictured above with Smith in 2022. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images for ESSENCE<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Page Six Daily\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWant more celebrity and pop culture news?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with Page Six Daily.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As far as her experience working with the \u201cBad Boys\u201d actor, Ellis-Taylor said he was a \u201ccaretaker\u201d for the \u201cKing Richard\u201d cast. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWill Smith is the most caretaking actor that I\u2019ve ever worked with,\u201d she said during the interview, noting that he \u201ctook care of everybody\u201d during filming. <\/p>\n<p>And, she added, she\u2019d also seen his protective side. \u201cHe just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe would just not allow it. And I cannot tell you how rare that is in this job. I will always have a great deal of affection and care for him because he acted that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Ellis-Taylor, shown here with Smith in 2022, said she \u201cwill always have a great deal of affection and care for him.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Patrick McMullan via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><figcaption>Smith, who later apologized to Rock, was banned from the Oscars for 10 years over the incident.  <span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Reps for Smith and Rock did not immediately respond to Page Six\u2019s requests for comment on Thursday. <\/p>\n<p>Smith\u2019s slap wasn\u2019t without consequences. Following the televised incident, he was <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2022\/04\/08\/will-smith-punishment-for-chris-rock-slap\/\">banned from the Academy Awards<\/a> \u2014 and all Academy events \u2014 for a decade.<\/p>\n<p>A day after the March 27, 2022 incident, Smith took to social media to <a href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2022\/03\/28\/will-smith-apologizes-to-chris-rock-for-after-oscars-slap\/\">apologize directly to Rock<\/a>, writing, \u201cI was out of line and I was wrong.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,\u201d he continued. \u201cThere is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Will Smith\u2019s \u201cKing Richard\u201d co-star, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, understands why the actor publicly slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars several years ago. \u201cI know that he wanted to protect his wife,\u201d the actress said of the infamous moment, which saw Smith lash out over the comedian\u2019s joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith\u2019s closely cropped hair at the 2022&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/08\/137318986.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43806","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=43806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/43807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=43806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=43806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=43806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}