Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sheree Zampino is finally speaking out… sharing a similar reaction (along with the rest of the world) after watching her ex-husband Will Smith physically assault someone on the Oscars’ stage.
As the show was starting to near the end, Chris Rock took the stage at the 94th Academy Awards and did what he does best… started telling jokes. As he’s popping them out about actors and actresses alike, he makes his way to Will’s wife, Jada-Pinkett Smith. “Jada, I love you. G.I Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” Chris said. The audience provided a mixed response with some laughs (Will included) and some audible gasps.
The camera cuts back to Chris who’s preparing to get on with the segment when Will walks onto the stage, approaches Chris, slaps him across the face, and then walks away. Both viewers and audience members alike are stunned. Was this staged? Is this part of the show? What is going on!? “Keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth,” Will screamed twice from his seat.
The night moved on, the atmosphere was tense, and some stars like Denzel Washington started to console Will after this outburst. But most were completely and utterly appalled. Page Six covered Sheree’s response to the moment in an interview she did. “It was one of those moments where I froze. The first thing you do is try to make sense of it in the [moment],” Sheree said. As far as reconciliation goes, she does think that it could be a teachable moment for many people. “When Chris and Will can come together and heal in a public way and extend forgiveness to one another, do you know how many people that’s gonna help and set free,” Sheree finished.
Based on Will’s most recent YouTube video addressing the incident, it doesn’t seem like a sit-down between the two will be happening anytime soon. In fact, Chris has yet to fully break his silence on the incident so far. “I’ve reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out,” Will said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you want to talk,” he finished. Will also made more apologies to Chris’s mother and his own family and children.
Although Will takes accountability in the video for his behavior and also shares a little about his upbringing, it’s still not enough for some. I will say, Will’s acceptance speech at the Oscars and his apology video share a lot of the same message as his book too. “Disappointing people is my central trauma,” he said. Even though Will has been through a lot, which I’m empathetic to. It still doesn’t excuse his actions. However, I am glad to see he’s doing the work to address his past wounds and move forward in a positive manner.
TELL US – WERE YOU ALSO TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE WILL SMITH AND CHRIS ROCK SLAP? DO YOU THINK HIS APOLOGY WAS ENOUGH?
[Photo by Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for MTV]
