Trevor Noah Says He Was ‘Shocked’ How People Reacted to Will Smith Slap

The Will Smith slap of Chris Rock is still not far from a lot of people’s minds even though it took place almost six months ago—and now Trevor Noah has shared some thoughts on the drama, revealing he was “shocked” at how people reacted to the actor in the aftermath.

“I find it fascinating,” The Daily Show host said, adding that he was concerned by the idea that it was “another instance where people were so quick to throw a human being away.”

“If we look at it through the scales of justice, or even if you just think of it through the lens of humanity: How many rights are worth a wrong and what wrong erases all the rights? When is a person now vile?” he asked during an appearance on Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast.

Noah went on to describe his shock at how Smith was vilified after the incident.

In a moment that completely overshadowed this year’s Academy Awards, Smith struck Rock in the face onstage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre after the comedian cracked a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith then shouted from his seat that Rock should “keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth.”

Trevor Noah and Will Smith attend the National Board of Review annual awards gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on March 15, in New York City. Noah talked about the extreme reaction of people to Smith’sThe slap sent shock waves across the entertainment industry and saw Smith banned from returning to the Oscars or attending any other Academy events for the next 10 years.

“I was shocked at how many people immediately just went, ‘Will Smith is a trash human being and he’s the worst human, he should be in jail.’ I was like, ‘Whoa, wow. OK.’ That was really interesting for me,” Noah said.

“As opposed to saying, this person who we’ve loved for so long, who has put not a foot wrong anywhere. Something went wrong here. Something really went wrong. What went wrong? Should we get in that? Should we delve into the humanity of it? Should we ask? Should we question? Should we care? Nope, nope, that’s not the world we live in anymore.”

“People instantly get defined,” Noah added. “And you cannot exist in a gray space. You cannot be a good person who’s done a bad thing. And you cannot be a bad person who does a good thing. You’re either a good person or a bad person. And that is it. And then society flip-flops with you, depending on your last action. I try not to allow myself to get sucked into that too much.”

Noah hosted the 2022 Grammy Awards shortly after the Oscars and made a subtle joke when he told the audience they were going to be “keeping people’s names” out of their mouths.

Noah’s comments come just weeks after Smith himself publicly addressed the slap.

In late July, Smith released an apology video on YouTube in which he reflected on the incident, the fallout and how he has been coping ever since.

“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk,” Smith says in the five-minute-long video.