Jada Pinkett Smith Breaks Silence on Oscars Slap: “I Thought, This is a Skit”

Jada Pinkett Smith is the cover star of the new edition of PEOPLE, and during the conversation, she reveals that she thought the Oscars slap was a skit.

“I thought, ‘This is a skit,’” Pinkett Smith said. “I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him. It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit.”

She stated after the show, the first thing she said to the Oscar-winning actor was “Are you okay?” Adding, “I’m going to be by his side but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.”

The conversation circled her forthcoming book, Worthy, which will release on Oct. 17.

Jada Pinkett Smith knows everyone has been waiting 18 months for her to say something. Here it is.

In this week’s issue, Jada opens up about her marriage to Will Smith and the 2022 #Oscars incident. Pick up on newsstands Friday and read the story here: pic.twitter.com/RNZB5nkz7e

— People (@people) October 11, 2023