Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor still stands by Will Smith‘s infamous Oscars slap four years later. The King Richard actress explained why she supports her costar and shared her blunt thoughts on Chris Rock.
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor defends Will Smith’s Oscar slap
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor recently defended Will Smith’s infamous 2022 Oscars slap during an appearance on The Daily Beast’s Obsessed podcast. The actress starred opposite Smith as Oracene “Brandy” Price in the sports drama King Richard. She expressed firm support for her former co-star’s decision to confront comedian Chris Rock onstage.
“I know that he wanted to protect his wife, and I stand by that,” Ellis-Taylor said. “I stand with him for that. I think that this idea that First Amendment rights should protect everybody—I don’t think it should necessarily protect a–holes. I really don’t.”
Smith slapped Rock after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the ceremony. Pinkett Smith has publicly discussed her struggle with alopecia. Smith won Best Actor later that evening for his portrayal of Richard Williams.
The Academy subsequently banned Smith from all Academy events for 10 years following the incident. Ellis-Taylor also addressed broader concerns about people using free speech to justify harmful rhetoric.
“I’m from the state of Mississippi, and people have used First Amendment right protections to defend the Confederate flag,” she said. “I know blanket First Amendment valorization. I don’t buy into that.”
Beyond the slap, Ellis-Taylor praised Smith’s behavior on the King Richard set. She described him as exceptionally caring toward every crew member regardless of their role.
“He just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence,” she said. “I cannot tell you how rare that is in this job.”
She previously told The Independent that Smith doubled her pay and the entire cast’s compensation from his own pocket. Ellis-Taylor had raised concerns about not being “paid respectfully” for the film.
She currently stars in the Apple TV+ crime-thriller miniseries Lucky, which airs its finale on August 19.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
