DJ Jazzy Jeff Speaks Out in Support of Will Smith Following Oscar Slap

"I can name 50 times that he should've smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn't," DJ Jazzy Jeff said.

DJ Jazzy Jeff has spoken out about Will Smith’s recent Oscars moment that had the internet talking. 

Recently Jeff, Smith's longtime friend was featured during an installment of Closed Sessions Legend Conversation in Chicago hosted at Dorian’s Through The Record Shop. While there he was asked about Smith slapping Chris Rock. He described it as "a lapse in judgment."

Additionally, he said the following in a clip shared from the event:  

“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of. It was a lapse in judgment, you know? I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that has had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him. I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn’t. … So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”

A day after the incident, Smith publicly apologized to Rock in a statement. He expressed that he’d “reacted emotionally.” He addressed that his reasoning for his actions was because the "joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear." He subsequently resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the host of the Oscars. Despite winning an Oscar for his role in King Richard (Best Actor), the Academy decided to ban Smith from attending its events for the next 10 years. 

“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” shared AMPAS president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson in a statement.