Serena Williams' father Richard defends Will Smith over Oscars slap and says he doesn't feel sorry for Chris Rock: 'It's time for everyone to forgive Will Smith'
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- Richard Williams defended Will Smith over slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony.
- Richard told UK TV show "Good Morning Britain" that he "didn't feel sorry" for Rock.
- Richard, who Smith portrayed in "King Richard," also said the actor's Oscars ban should be lifted.
Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard defended Will Smith over the infamous Oscars slap in a new interview.
Smith faced backlash after slapping Chris Rock on stage during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. The slap occurred after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
On Monday, Richard, who Smith won an Oscar for portraying in the 2021 biopic "King Richard" on the night of the incident, told the UK TV show "Good Morning Britain" that he didn't see "anything wrong" with the slap.
"I'll always stand by him," Richard said. "I think he has done the best thing he needed to do, but I would never be disgusted with Mr. Smith. Matter of fact, I appreciate Mr. Smith."
The retired tennis coach went on to say that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 10-year ban on Smith attending their events should be lifted.
"It should be just one day or no more than a week at the most," Richard added.
Richard also said he "didn't feel sorry" for Rock and appeared to justify Smith's actions because of the comedian's joke about Smith's wife, who has alopecia.
"I'm 81 years old but when I was about 51 years or younger, I almost killed any damn one, so I think Mr. Smith done a great deal now," Richard said. "It's time for everyone to forgive Will Smith."
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Richard's son Chavoita LeSane previously told NBC News last year that his father doesn't "condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defense."
Smith has since issued several public apologies for his actions and resigned from the Academy days before the ban was issued. While the "Emancipation" actor has not apologized directly to Rock, Smith said last year that he has reached out to the comedian.
Meanwhile, Rock has not released any formal statements but has used the incident as the basis of jokes in his comedy sets on a number of occasions since last year.
In his recent Netflix comedy special, "Selective Outrage," Rock made numerous comments about the slap, the Smiths' "Red Table Talk" interview about Jada's affair, and his own personal feud with Jada.