Director Pedro Almodóvar Likens Will Smith’s Best Actor Acceptance Speech To That Of A “Cult Leader”

DJ Jazzy Jeff has become the latest artist to wade into the Will Smith Oscars slap debate, defending the actor for his “human” reaction.Last month, Smith struck Chris Rock on-stage during the Academy Awards ceremony following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Following numerous apologies over the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and described his actions as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable,” before being banned from the Oscars for a decade.Since the incident, Smith has been condemned by a number of celebrities including A$AP Rocky, Janet Hubert, Jim Carrey, Amy Schumer and Zoë Kravitz, while the likes of Denzel Washington and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak have supported him.Speaking at a live event in Chicago, Jazzy Jeff – who formed the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff And The Fresh Prince with Smith in 1986 and won two Grammys for ‘Parents Just Don’t Understand’ and ‘Summertime’ before they split in 1994 – defended his former bandmate.“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of.

Chris Rock did not want Will Smith to be “physically removed” from the ceremony after he stormed the stage to slap the comedian, according to an Oscars show-runner. US film producer Will Packer told Good Morning America that Rock had not wanted to “make a bad situation worse” and that he had spoken to a representative of the Academy on behalf of the stand-up. It comes after the Academy, which organises the Oscars, said that Smith had been asked to leave the ceremony after the star-studded event but had refused.

Afternoon all, Max Goldbart here looking back on quite a week. Lots to digest so the Insider has you covered. Read on.

Actor Daniel Radcliffe has been heaped with praise after choosing to swerve a question about Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Oscars clash. During an appearance on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to promote his new film The Lost City, host Susanna Reid asked Daniel what he made of Will hitting comedian Chris Rock following a remark about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Daniel Radcliffe has never been more relatable. The Harry Potter star, 32, appeared on Good Morning Britan March 31 to promote his new movie The Lost City and was asked about the 2022 Oscar slap. Instead of revealing if he sides more with Will Smith, 53, or with Chris Rock, 57, Daniel made it clear that he’s over the whole thing.

The year is 2005. You turn on BBC Radio 1 to hear comedian Peter Kay has bagged himself a Number 1 single for the second consecutive week. How did this happen?

Will Smith.The Chancellor of the Exchequer suggested in a new interview that he can relate to Smith, who assaulted Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday (March 27) for a joke made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, because he has felt similar defensive emotions recently.Labour said last week that Sunak has “very serious questions to answer” over his wife Akshata Murty’s shares in Infosys, a firm co-founded by her father, that operates in Russia.Sunak has said that he has “nothing to do” with the company, and previously encouraged UK firms to sever ties with Russia to punish Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.Sunak told the BBC’s Newscast podcast: “I think it’s totally fine for people to take shots at me. It’s fair game.

Read more: Will Smith issues public apology to Chris Rock for 'unacceptable and inexcusable' Oscars incident “I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren’t the cool club anymore,” said the comic. The show's host, Gayle King, speculated: “If anyone else had walked from the audience and done that, they would’ve been escorted out by security or maybe even arrested.

Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars ‘still triggers him in some way’. On Sunday evening at the Academy Awards, Smith struck Rock live on stage after the comedian made a quip about Jada Pinkett Smith’s short haircut, apparently unaware that she has alopecia. While Smith has since issued a public apology, the Academy has launched a formal investigation into the incident, stating in a recent statement that the actor ‘was asked to leave’ the awards ceremony but ‘refused’.

footage resurfaced of the “King Richard” actor appearing to playfully threaten a Spanish TV presenter, warning: “Careful with what you say to my wife.”The 2010 clip — which is again circulating on the heels of Will slapping Chris Rock at the Oscar’s Sunday night — shows him and wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, 50, with TV host Pablo Motos on the popular Spanish talk show “El Hormiguero.”Motos starts out by complimenting Jada’s “beautiful” looks and career success — only for Will, 53, to interject as their son Jaden Smith shook his head.“Pablo, be careful with the words you use for my wife, okay!?” Will warned in Spanish as he raised his hand at the presenter. After defending his Jada, he motioned for Motos to continue talking, leaning in to suggest that he was listening closely to every word.

Oscars stage in Los Angeles on Sunday evening during the telecast and hit presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. But if the altercation that still has everyone talking happened in England at the BAFTAs, Smith would have immediately been escorted out of the building.Executives from British Academy of Film and Television Arts discussed with The Hollywood Reporter their thoughts on the viral moment.“They would be removed from the building,” said Sara Putt, chair of BAFTA’s television committee said, after she was asked what BAFTA would do in a similar circumstance.Smith won later that same night the Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the drama “King Ricard.” He was even given a standing ovation and his speech ran for almost five minutes.Putt also stated that said individual would not be able to stay and collect any awards.

Chris Rock may have left Will Smith angered by his Oscars presentation but the star's legions of loyal fans are still right by his side. The comedian was left shocked after the King Richard actor slapped him in the face after he made a controversial joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.MORE: Will Smith's mother breaks silence on son's altercation with Chris Rock But now, Chris had reason to celebrate as ticket sales for his upcoming live tour skyrocketed following the Academy Awards.WATCH: Will Smith strikes Chris Rock during Oscars "We sold more tickets to see Chris Rock overnight than we did in the past month combined," TickPick tweeted the day after the Oscars. Ticket prices are also dramatically increasing in price according to Variety who say they went up from a minimum of $46 per person on 18 March to a minimum of $341.MORE: Serena Williams speaks out after Will Smith's public apology SEE: Celebrities react to Will Smith's shocking Chris Rock altercationChris is due to kick off his tour this week in Boston for a run of shows, before he travels across the US and UK for his Ego Death World Tour.  Chris Rock's altercation with Will Smith at the Oscars has increased demand for tickets for his tourThe Oscars moment between Will and Chris will go down in history as one of the most shocking.Moments after he stormed on stage and hit the presenter, Will accepted his first Academy Award for his role in King Richard. MORE: Serena and Venus Williams steal the show at the Oscars in daring gownsRELATED: Will Smith's fans convinced attack on Chris Rock was 'staged' after actor predicted 'chaos' hours earlierHe took the opportunity to apologize but it wasn't until Tuesday when he issued an apology to Chris via Instagram. A post

Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of Will Smith, has shared her first message following the controversy that rocked the Oscars at the weekend.

By now, everyone has weighed in on Will Smith and Chris Rock slapping at the Oscars. 

Liam Payne have to say about all of this?” Coincidentally, that very question was asked yesterday, not long after Will Smith had slapped Chris Rock in front of everyone at the Oscars for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. We were waiting for a statement from the Academy. We wondered how Smith would justify it, if Rock would issue a response, or if Jada Pinkett Smith would make any comment.

94th Academy Award ceremony, comedian and host Chris Rock took things a little too far for Will Smith's liking. During a stand-up set, the Grown Ups star made a joke over Will's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith's, alopecia, a condition that causes your hair to fall out. On stage, Chris said: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2.

Richard Madeley bashed Chris Rock on Good Morning Britain on Monday as he spoke with co-host Susanna Reid about Will Smith slapping him on the Oscars stage.The 65 year old described the controversial comedian as the “most unpleasant human being [he] had ever interviewed” as he reflected back on his last encounter with the US star back when he was hosting his Channel 4 show with wife Judy Finnigan. “I was asked by GQ magazine some years ago who was the most unpleasant person I'd ever interviewed in my entire career and that goes back to 1972 when I was in local newspapers. I said without hesitation, Chris Rock,” Richard said.