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American comedian Kevin Hart has opened up about how Will Smith is doing after his infamous slap across Chris Rock's face at the 2022 Academy Awards. While talking to news outlet Entertainment Tonight during the premiere of DC League of Super-Pets on July 13, the 43-year-old star said that the Men in Black actor is sorry about his behavior.
"Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after. People are human, and as humans sometimes we make mistakes. So it's not about talking about the past, it's about acknowledging the present and doing your best to move forward."
On March 27, at the 94th Academy Awards, Chris Rock joked about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head; the 50-year-old has been pretty open about her battle with alopecia.
His joke made Pinkett Smith roll her eyes at the joke while Will Smith made his way onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock. The 57-year-old was visibly stunned by Smith's actions and did not respond at all.
Later, Smith went back to his seat and was heard yelling:
"Keep my wife's name out of your fu****g mouth!"
Will Smith later resigned from the Academy and apologized to Chris Rock. He was also banned for 10 years from attending any Academy or Academy-related events.
Kevin Hart maintains cordial ties with Will Smith as well as Chris Rock
While talking to Entertainment Tonight, Kevin Hart revealed that he is close friends with both Will Smith and Chris Rock and hopes things resolve between them.
"I can get only hope that the two of them find a way to find some solace in that and move past it. I just like good energy. I love to see people be the best. I still love him, I still love Chris. You can't judge a person by one thing. Ultimately, life goes on and people grow, so give him the opportunity to do so."
In the weeks that followed the infamous Oscar slap, several television show hosts and comedians tended to make brief jokes about the situation.
Jada Pinkett Smith, who married Will in 1997, also addressed the infamous controversy on an episode of her Facebook series Red Table Talk, saying:
"About Oscar night: My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile. With the state of the world today, we need 'em both, and we all actually need one another more than ever."
Concluding her statement, she thanked the audience for listening and stated that she and Will Smith will "keep figuring out this thing called life together."
This is not the first time that the Academy board has refused to comply with socially inappropriate behavior. In December 2018, Kevin Hart, too, was forced to step down as the host of the Oscars 2019 after refusing to apologize for his homophobic comments.
