DJ Jazzy Jeff Weighs In Will Smith’s Oscars Slap: ‘He’s Human’
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Will Smith’s longtime friend and one half of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince recently spoke out about his feelings on Smith’s Oscars slap.
People reported that Jeff addressed his longtime collaborator’s blowup at the Oscars at Dorian’s Through The Record Shop in Chicago, during the Closed Sessions Legend Conversation: DJ Jazzy Jeff last Thursday. In a video posted on Instagram by an audience member, the Philadelphia native said Smith’s slap was “a lapse in judgment” as far as he was concerned.
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“Don’t get it twisted that it was something he was proud of,” Jeff said. “I think the thing that I’ve realized is I don’t know too many people that [have] had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him. I can name 50 times that he should’ve smacked the s–t out of somebody and he didn’t. So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he’s human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don’t think people like that are human.”
Jeff’s comment was in reference to the incident at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, when Smith — who later in the night won the best actor award for his role in King Richard — slapped presenter Rock on stage over a joke the comedian made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The rapper-turned-actor apologized for the incident, but he has since been banned by the Academy for 10 years.
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith go way back. The duo won the first best rap performance award at the Grammys for their hit single “Parents Just Don’t Understand” in 1989. Their 1991 single, “Summertime,” became a No. 4 hit on Billboard Hot 100. Jeff also joined Smith on his breakout sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, playing a recurring role as Smith’s best friend, Jazz.
