Comedian Tommy Davidson spoke on 2022 Oscar Slapgate, shedding some light on Will Smith’s behavior.

While he may have been known as a world-class entertainer thanks to his performances in some of the most amazing films in Hollywood, Will Smith is not for those things today. Ever since the incident that took place with comedian Chris Rock on the night of the 94th Academy Awards, the world has come to give the actor the side-eye.

Will Smith slapping host Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards

The incident occurred because everyone thought that Rock’s joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith got to him and hit a nerve. However, according to actor and comedian Tommy Davidson, this might not paint the entire picture of why Smith took such a drastic and irresponsible decision. He says that it was a culmination of different factors that made the star erupt.

Tommy Davidson Reveals The Real Reason Why Will Smith Slapped Chris Rock

Tommy Davidson

While the fire from the night of the 94th Academy Awards might be more than a year old today, the embers from the incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock remain. The infamous incident was the reason why Smith was banned from The Oscars the night he won the award for the first time in his career.

While many people still think that the reason for this incident was due to Rock making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, comedian Tommy Davidson has another explanation for Smith’s actions.

In an episode of Club Shay Shay, the In Living Color star talked about how the slap was more than a getting back for a joke. He said that due to the I Am Legend star being the center of the media due to the controversy about him and his wife, he was mentally against a wall.

Since he had to protect his image as Will Smith, the star was trying to play it cool, even if it meant bottling up emotions like fear of losing it all, according to Davidson. The lashing out at the Oscars was just the tipping point that sadly everyone witnessed. He said:

“Because it was all on the line, it was all on the line, it’s like, it was getting really hot. A person jumps out of the World Trade Center at the 118th floor, and you go ‘Why would they do that?’ Because the pain got so intense they didn’t really care, they just (jump) really fast. I thought that’s what really happened, that he was just really frightened about not getting in what people think, and you know, I wouldn’t say he was wrong for being fearful.”
Hearing these words of compassion, many people may believe that Smith and Davidson were close and on good terms, but that’s not the story at all.

Will Smith Almost Assulated Tommy Davidson For Kissing Jada Pinkett Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith and Tommy Davidson in a still from Woo

Davidson and Smith go way back, but their interaction wasn’t the type that can be called pleasant. During the show, the comedian also revealed that while he was shooting his 1998 film Woo with Pinkett Smith, there came a scene where the actors had to kiss, and that’s what happened.

The problem occurred when he was confronted by Smith after it.

He remembered the Hancock star coming into his trailer after the shot and talking about how he didn’t appreciate it. Davidson was visibly confused since he had no idea what the star was talking about.

It wasn’t until 15 years later that he found he was mad about the kiss with his wife, and he elaborated that Smith was mad enough to brawl right then and there.