DJ Jazzy Jeff Comes To Will Smith's Defense After Oscars Backlash

It seems like there are just as many people out there who are supporting Will Smith after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars as there are critics who were appalled. While Chris Rock himself has said that he's not talking about the incident until someone dangles a paycheck in front of his eyes, the entertainment industry sure has had a lot to say about it. Smith's former "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" co-star Tatyana Ali has even spoken out about the slap. She said that while Rock didn't deserve to get hit, "I don't know what caused that chaos & confusion, but I do know that Will has a big heart. I've seen him many times try his best to do what is right. I believe in him," as per her Twitter. In addition, Janet Hubert, who played Aunt Viv on "Fresh Prince" said in a now-deleted Instagram post, via New York Post, "So PROUD OF YOU. There is only so much one can take... sometimes you have to slap back."

Now there's another person in Smith's close inner circle who has something to say about the slap that just keeps reverberating: Smith's former co-star, collaborator, and lifelong friend, DJ Jazzy Jeff. But what he says differs from what his fellow co-stars have said about the matter.

According to the New York Post, DJ Jazzy Jeff shared his thoughts on "the slap" during the Closed Sessions Legend Conversation at Dorian's Through the Record Shop in Chicago. The songwriter suggested in the interview that Smith is someone who has often practiced constraint, even during the toughest times. "I can name 50 times that [Smith] should've smacked the s*** out of somebody and he didn't," he said. "So for him to have a lapse in judgment, he's human. And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don't think people like that are human."

Jeff isn't the only one who thinks that Smith's lapse of judgment came as a surprise. In addition, Hollywood director Michael Bay told Yahoo! Entertainment that Smith slapping Rock across the face was out of character for the actor. "I've worked with him. He's not that guy. I've never seen him lose his cool like that," he said. Bay also said that there are more important matters in the world to contend with right now, including the ongoing war in Ukraine. Seeing how there are so many people who don't want to keep talking about the slap, we'd say Smith is probably one of them, too.