Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars for Rock's joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith became the Academy Award's biggest shock moment. But the drama between the two, Diddy told Page Six, is over now.
When asked about the two's feud, Diddy told the outlet, “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that.” Diddy did not detail how the two reconciled but added, “It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
Smith himself told Variety's Marc Malkin, when asked how he was doing at Vanity Fair's Oscar after party, “It’s all love.”
On stage moments after the slap, Diddy indicated to the crowd he'd help the two mend their relationship, via Us Weekly: “Will and Chris we’re going to solve that like family at the after-party,” he said.
The Los Angeles Times reported that backstage after the slap, Rock was overheard saying, “I just got punched in the face by Muhammad Ali and didn’t get a scratch.” (Smith played Ali in a 2001 biopic on the boxer.) Rock's joke, Variety Executive Editor Ramin Setoodeh revealed on Twitter, was not planned. “Someone who works for the Oscars told me that Chris Rock was not interrupted by Will Smith at rehearsals yesterday,” Setoodeh tweeted. “It was not supposed to happen. It was real.”
Setoodeh also revealed that after the moment, Pinkett Smith and Smith were seen holding hands in the audience. (Rock joked about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, calling her “G.I. Jane 2.” Pinkett Smith has been vocal about having alopecia, a hair loss condition.)
Rock declined to press charges against Smith for the slap. The Los Angeles Police Department released a statement, which Entertainment Tonight obtained. “LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,” the LAPD said. “The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she's not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
