Lorraine Kelly lunged in to defend Will Smith as she appeared on Good Morning Britain to introduce her own ITV programme.
Talk swiftly turned to the Oscars after the King Richard actor stormed the stage to slap comedian Chris Rock over an ill-mannered joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s health condition.
The 62-year-old star argued that the Fresh Prince star should not be stripped of his first Oscar award as she chatted to hosts Susanna Reid, 51, and Richard Madeley, 65, on Tuesday 29 March.
Airing her thoughts on the situation, the Scottish TV presenter argued that “dodgy” actors had won the prestigious award in the past and had not had their honour stripped.
(Image: ITV)
She said: “Good morning to you, I know that we’ve been talking about this all morning the fact that Will Smith apologised over night, we’re asking though, should he be stripped of his Oscar?”
Lorraine commented: “But when you think about the other people who have had Oscars a fair few dodgy characters… I’m not sure that he should be.”
The 2022 Oscars went viral on Monday for all the wrong reasons after Will Smith slapped Chris across the face.
As he retreated to his seat, he yelled at the comedian to: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
After the televised assault, Chris joked: “Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me.”
(Image: Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag)
The movie star became infuriated with the funnyman after he’d landed a quip about Jada’s widely known health condition alopecia as she boasted a chic shaved head trim.
“Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” remarked Chris.
At the time, Will seemed to laugh along until he caught his wife’s rolled eyes reaction as she seemed visibly displeased with the joke.
In the 1997 GI Jane film, Demi Moore appears with a closely shaven head similar to Jada, who has spoken openly about her suffering with alopecia — an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
Since the altercation, Will has offered up a heartfelt and public apology on Instagram to Chris Rock.
The film star’s statement read: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
He added: “I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.
“I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
