Will Smith’s Wife Jada Distances Herself From Oscars Slap Despite Laughing Afterwards – Now ‘Wishes He Didn’t’ Get Physical

Last week, we reported that video footage from the Academy Awards showed Jada Pinkett Smith laughing in response to her husband Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the ceremony in an Oscars moment that shocked the world. Now, however, Jada appears to be scrambling to distance herself from the incident, as sources are saying that she “wishes he didn’t” get physical with Rock.

But first, check out Jada Pinkett Smith laughing at the slap right after it happened in the video below. She likely doesn’t want this footage making the rounds online right now…

Jada Pinkett Smith ‘Wishes He Didn’t’ Get Physical

A source told US Weekly that while Jada is “not angry” with Will Smith in the wake of the slap, she still “wishes he didn’t” get physical with comedian Chris Rock. 

“It was in the heat of the moment and it was him overreacting,” the insider said. “He knows that, she knows that. They’re in agreement that he overreacted.”

Smith smacked Rock after he made a GI Jane joke in reference to Jada’s bald head, which is shaved because The Matrix: Resurrections actress suffers from alopecia.

However, the source went on to say that Jada never wanted Smith to have a physical altercation in her defense. 

‘She’s Not One Of These Women That Needs Protecting’

“She’s not one of these women that needs protecting. He didn’t need to do what he did, she didn’t need protecting. She’s not a wallflower,” the source explained. “She’s a strong woman, an opinionated woman and she can fight her own battles. But she will stand by him.”

Jada and Will Smith have been married since 1997, and they have two adult children together: Jaden, 23, and Willow, 21. 

“They protect their family. They’re all about their family and their kids. They’ve done everything to build this life for themselves,” the source concluded. “They are very much protected in their own lives and do the absolute best they can to protect their loved ones.”

It should be noted that Jada and Smith have a rocky history that includes her admitting to sleeping with a 23 year-old rapper who is a friend of their son’s. 

Can Will Smith’s Hollywood Career Recover?

Despite the fact that various film projects of Smith’s have been put on hold in the wake of this scandal, Academy board member Whoopi Goldberg is confident that his career will not be destroyed by this scandal. 

Read more: Will Smith Hit With Crushing Career Blow As His Movies Are Put On Hold Following Oscars Slap

“Some of Will Smith’s future projects are in question,” she said on Monday, according to Daily Mail. “The question is does he have a path back – yes of course he does. He’ll be back, no worries.”

Goldberg went on to say that “you have to” separate the art from the artist “because if you can’t, none of us can be artists.”

Even so, the Academy is meeting on April 18 to decide how best to reprimand Smith for his assault of Rock. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he will be stripped of the Oscar that he won for his work in King Richard moments after the slap occurred. 

Should the consequences from both the Academy and Hollywood at large be stiff for Will Smith, it will certainly be interesting to see if Jada continues to stand by him, or if she seeks to distance herself from him and the scandal even more in the future. 

Read next: Academy Under Pressure To Release ‘Missing’ 3s Video Of Will And Jada Smith Just Before Oscars Smack