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DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith y Chris Rock. Shutterstock (3)
Supporting the Fresh Prince. DJ Jazzy Jeff shared his thoughts on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and defended his former colleague.
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“Don’t get confused that this was something I was proud of,” the 57-year-old producer said during a recent interview with Chicago radio station 107.5 WCGI. “It was an error in judgment.”
The composer, whose real name is Jeff Townes, went on to say that the 53-year-old Oscar winner is normally very good at controlling his emotions when faced with an upsetting situation.
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“I think I’ve realized that I don’t know many people who have had the slightest error in judgment that he has,” explained Jeff, whose friendship with Smith began in 1985. “I can name 50 times that I should have hit someone and not did. So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he is human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from people who don’t believe that people like that are human.”
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The Men in Black star made headlines when he took to the stage and punched Rock, 57, at the Oscars last month after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair. The Magic Mike XXL actress, 50, has been open about her struggle with alopecia.
Smith publicly apologized to the Grown Ups actor a day after the incident, saying in an Instagram statement that he was “embarrassed” by his actions. “I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, everyone in attendance and everyone who watched it around the world,” he added. “I deeply regret that my behavior has tarnished what has been a magnificent journey for all of us.”
Earlier this month, the Academy announced that Smith is banned from all Academy events and programs for the next 10 years, both virtual and in-person. “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” the Philadelphia native said in a statement after the organization announced the ban. (Smith had already resigned from the Academy a week earlier.)
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Jeff isn’t the first Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum to weigh in on the drama. Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Viv, praised her former co-star for winning her first Oscar. “There is so much one can take…sometimes you have to slap back,” the 66-year-old actress wrote via Instagram a day after the Academy Awards. “Celebrate the victory…nothing else matters.”
Tatyana Ali, meanwhile, said Rock “didn’t deserve to be hit, but he stood up for Smith’s character. “My heart aches for what happened,” the 43-year-old New York native wrote via Instagram earlier this month. “I don’t know what caused this chaos and confusion, but I know that Will has a big heart. I have seen him many times go to great lengths to do the right thing. I believe in him.”
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