Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Serena Williams Speaks Out For First Time About Will Smith Oscars Slap: 'I’ve Been There'

Serena Williams and Will Smith; Will Smith, Chris Rock Oscars slap
Kevin Winter/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The tennis star opened up for the first time on 'CBS Mornings' about Smith's assault of Chris Rock at last year's Academy Awards.

For the first time since the infamous Will Smith Oscars slap, Serena Williams is talking about it.

Smith starred as Williams' father in the 2021 film King Richard, which Williams executive-produced with her sister.


On Wednesday, Williams sat down with Gayle King on CBS Mornings.

King made a reference to "the incident," asking Williams:

"What did you feel about that?"

Williams thoughtfully responded:

"I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed."

The film Williams referred to is Summer of Soul which won Best Documentary Feature and was being awarded when Smith approached the stage and slapped host Chris Rock.

She continued:

"But, I also feel that I've been in a position where I've been under a lot of pressure and I've made a tremendous amount of mistakes."
"And I'm the kind of person that's like, 'I've been there. I've made a mistake. It's not the end of the world'."

Williams finished:

"We're all imperfect and we're all human, and let's just be kind to each other. I think that's often forgotten..."

You can watch the segment below.

www.youtube.com

Many viewers of the video appreciated Williams' humility and her willingness to forgive.

Access Hollywood/YouTube

Access Hollywood/YouTube

HuffPost/Facebook

HuffPost/Facebook

HuffPost/Facebook

BuzzFeed/Facebook

Others, however, think it's time to move on from the topic completely.

The incident occurred nearly a year ago.

HuffPost/Facebook

HuffPost/Facebook

HuffPost/Facebook

BuzzFeed/Facebook

BuzzFeed/Facebook

The Hollywood Reporter/Facebook

The Hollywood Reporter/Facebook

After the incident, Smith issued a 6-minute video addressing the assault and apologizing to Rock.

He was also banned from returning to the Oscars or any other Academy events for 10 years. He can, however, still be nominated for an award.

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Screenshot of Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov
10 News First/YouTube

American YouTuber Arrested After Sneaking Onto Remote Island And Leaving Diet Coke For Uncontacted Tribe

24-year-old YouTuber Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov was arrested after making contact with one of the world's last uncontacted tribes, making the perilous and ill-advised journey to North Sentinel Island and leaving a coconut and a can of Diet Coke on the beach as a gift to the Sentinelese.

Polyakov, 24, arrived at the northeastern shore of North Sentinel Island at 10 a.m. on March 29, according to police reports. He used binoculars to survey the land but saw no one. He then climbed ashore, leaving behind a Diet Coke and a coconut, took sand samples, and recorded a video, the authorities said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivian Wilson; Elon Musk
@vivillainous/Instagram; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Vivian Wilson Drags Dad Elon Musk For Claiming Protesters Are Being Paid By Democrats

After billionaire Elon Musk erroneously claimed that massive anti-Trump administration protests around the country have been full of "paid protesters," his estranged daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, underscored the extent of his hypocrisy in a post on Threads.

Millions of people participated in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk on Saturday, with demonstrations held across all 50 states and around the world. The protests, organized by a pro-democracy movement, were a response to what they describe as a "hostile takeover" and an attack on American rights and freedoms.

Keep ReadingShow less
Madonna; Elton John
Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation/GettyImages, Noam Galai/Getty Images for TIME

Madonna Reveals She And Elton John Finally 'Buried The Hatchet' After Decades-Long Feud

Harmony was finally restored when music icons Madonna and Elton John ended their decades-long feud over the weekend.

"We Finally Buried the Hatchet!!!" Madonna enthused on Tuesday's Instagram post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk; Amy Coney Barrett
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Musk Slammed For Criticizing 'Suicidal Empathy' Of SCOTUS Justices Who Ruled In Favor Of Due Process

Once again borrowing from the language of the toxic, insecure, red pill/blue pill, alpha male, incel subcultures that gave rise to public figures like Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes, Elon Musk attacked the women of the United States Supreme Court for following the rule of law and the United States Constitution instead of showing fealty to Republican President Donald Trump.

In a 4-5 dissent, only the women of SCOTUS decided the core of our justice system—due process—can stop the kinds of mistakes Trump's Department of Homeland Security is making routinely, like ICE abducting and deporting innocent people with visa or green cards to a hellish prison in El Salvador.

Keep ReadingShow less
Michelle Williams
Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Michelle Williams Puts First Class Passenger On Blast For Gross Bare Feet On Her Flight

Michelle Williams found herself in an all-too-relatable mid-flight nightmare—and she had the receipts to prove it.

The Destiny’s Child singer took to Instagram on Sunday to hilariously call out a fellow passenger who decided to go barefoot and make himself a little too comfortable on their flight from Chicago to New York.

Keep ReadingShow less