Will Smith’s Oscars slap defended by Tiffany Haddish: ‘It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen’

Tiffany Haddish has come out in support of after he slapped for his Jada Pinkett-Smith joke at the Oscars.

Weighing in on the drama, Haddish called the physical altercation ‘the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.’

The chaos began when the King Richard actor took offence at the comedian’s comments about his wife’s short hair, since she has been open about her struggles with alopecia.

Smith stormed out of his seat and walked up to the stage,.

With many on what has already become one of the most talked about moments in Oscars history, actress Haddish – who presented best international feature film at the ceremony – said it really got her.

‘When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me,’ she said.

‘That meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives,’ she added.

Haddish also said that Rock is a ‘friend’ to the couple, so she questioned, ‘Why would you do that? He didn’t even run the joke by her, but she was hurt though.’

His joke, which has sparked outrage, involved the comic poking fun at Pinkett-Smith’s bald head, which she previously shaved after dealing with alopecia (an autoimmune condition that causes hair loss) since 2018.

Rock said he was looking forward to G.I. Jane 2, which left a sour taste in the mouths of many celebs in the audience and viewers at home.

While the Men in Black star laughed at the jibe initially, his expression quickly changed after his wife rolled her eyes.

After delivering the slap to a stunned Rock, he shouted twice from his seat: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.’

The altercation left Rock flustered to say the least, as he attempted to carry on with presenting the gong for best documentary feature.

Shortly after the incident, Smith was awarded his first ever Oscar for his portrayal of Richard Williams.

He delivered an emotional acceptance speech after bagging the best actor trophy for his portrayal of the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

Smith apologised to both the Academy and his fellow nominees, but not to Rock, as he collected his gong, joking that he ‘looks like the crazy father.’

Breaking down in tears, he said: ‘Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family.

‘In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling me to do and be in this world.’

He added: ‘I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people.

‘I know to do what we do you’ve got to be able to take abuse, you’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you in this business.

‘You’ve got to be able have people disrespecting you and you’ve got to smile and pretend like that’s OK.’

Smith continued: ‘I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees.

‘This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award, it’s not about winning an award for me, it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.

‘Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things.’

He concluded by thanking the Academy for the ‘honour,’ saying he hopes to be ‘invited back.’