By Mona Austin
Chris Rock's mom, Rosalie Rock spoke out about the Oscar slapping incident involving Will Smith and her son in a recent appearance on South Carolina's WIS-TV, "SODA City Live."
Mrs. Rock, who is a motivational speaker from Andrews, SC was in town for the Neighborhood Awards and to speak to students.
At first the comedian's mother thought the smack was staged. As Smith struck Rock and went back to his seat shouting expletives, it was then that Mrs. Rock said she realized the shocking attack was real. The mother of 10 (seven by birth, 3 given) expressed a deeply personal reaction when the "Men In Black" actor slapped her son, saying it was like him slapping her: "When you hurt my child, you hurt me."
In reflecting on the embarrassing moment that was captured on live TV, she said she was proud of the way her son handled the situation telling him that he stands on the shoulders of the late Sidney Portier.
She scoffed at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' governing body for penalizing Smith with 10 years of bansihment saying, "And what does that mean? You don't even go every year."
Her remarks implied she would not have let the actor off that easily. At the same time she did not think that Smith should have been stripped of his Oscar he won for his performance in "King Richard" later that night.
Mrs. Rock was asked about what she would say to Smith if given the opportunity to address him. She explained his actions were shocking sayin she was at a loss for words but likely would have asked, "What in the world were you thinking?" She added that if Chris would have fallen Will could have been taken away in handcuffs. She had also noticed that Jada Pinket Smith was laughing when it happened. The incident transpired after Mr. Rock, who was there to present the award for Best Documentary, joked that Mrs. SMith would fit the part in the sequel to G.I. Jane, basing his observation on her bald head. Will took it as an insult and lashed out while everyone in the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and viewers worldwide were watchin.
According to Rock, her son was lookin forward to giving Questlove his Academy Award, but Smith's conduct ruined that moment.
“No one even heard his speech. No one was able to just be in the moment because everyone was sitting there like, ‘what just happened?’” she said.
Knowing that she could do nothing from a distance she said was "hard."
Under the circumstances at the March 27 airing of the Academy Awards she was pleased with the way her son handled it.
Mrs. Rock also feels Will Smith owes her son a personal apology and condemned him for putting out a statemnt through his team rather than contacting him directly.
"I feel really bad that he never apoloized," she admitted.
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