Will Smith has garnered sympathy from OJ Simpson after he said he understands where he was coming from when he hit Chris Rock.
The acquitted double-murder suspect took to Twitter to share his views on the controversy, admitting that he knew how it felt when “every comedian in the country had an OJ routine”.
The former American Football star took the opportunity to draw comparisons with Will’s Oscars drama and his own life after he stood accused of the murder of his wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
He said: “Look, I understood the feeling. In my life, I’ve been through a lot of crap when I was raising two young kids and every comedian in the country had an O.J. routine, and don’t think I wouldn’t want to [b**ch] slap a couple of them, but you got to accept that it’s human.”
The 74-year-old former convict – who was jailed for armed robbery in Las Vegas in 2008 – admitted feeling sympathy for Will, 53, but still branded him “wrong” for his reaction to a “semi un-funny joke.”
He continued: “‘Hey, look, it was unfortunate. I think Will was wrong”
OJ was paroled in 2017 after being sentenced to 33 years in prison for what he claimed was an attempt to steal back his own memorabilia from a hotel at gunpoint.
He drew a bizarre comparison to the two incidents by adding: “If I would have done that in front of a billion people watching around the world, they would have given me life without parole, I’m just saying.”
Will lashed out when comedian and Oscars host Chris Rock poked fun at wife Jada Pinkett Smith for her bad head due to alopecia, referencing the 1997 movie G.I. Jane, which Demi Moore famously shaved off all her hair to star in.
Seeing red at Chris’ comment, Will marched up to the stage and slapped him across the face before returning to his seat in the auditorium and repeatedly shouting “keep my wife’s name out your f****** mouth.”
The Hollywood icon went on to win the Oscar for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, delivering an emotional acceptance speech.
However, Will could now be stripped of his award if he faces disciplinary measures from The Academy for his actions after they meet on Wednesday (March 30) to decide his fate.
Stay up to date with the latest news in Showbiz and follow your favourite celebrities by signing up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk