Willow Smith Breaks Silence On Dad Will Slapping Chris Rock At The Oscars

Rae Batchelor
Willow Smith staring at the camera in a selfie.
instagram | @willowsmith

Willow Smith, 21, has finally opened up about her experience following the infamous moment her dad, Will Smith, slapped comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year.

It's hard to believe it's been 4 months since the Oscars. In the months that followed, Will's wife Jada Pinket-Smith, Chris Rock, and Will himself have spoken about the incident, and now daughter Willow is breaking her silence as well.

The Oscars this year were memorable for the Smith family for a number of reasons.

Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California.
Getty Images | Neilson Barnard

While Will Smith may have finally won his first Oscar for Best Actor, the win was overshadowed by him approaching the stage during Chris Rock speaking and slapping the comedian across the face following a joke about Will's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.

Will and Jada's daughter, Willow, has opened up about the experience in a new interview.

Willow revealed the media backlash didn't "rock me as much as my own internal demons."

“I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness,” she told Billboard. “Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted."

Willow explained that the expectations on her family can be too much.

"We’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest," she added.

Willow's comments come shortly after Will made a YouTube video addressing the incident himself.

"I hate when I let people down. So it hurts, it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me," Will said.

Will Smith speaking to the camera.
instagram | @willsmith

"I am deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I'm human and I made a mistake, and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of [expletive]," Will said. "I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world."

h/t: Billboard