Is Tyler Perry Still Friends With Will Smith After The Oscars Slap?

Will Smith's career suffered a devastating blow when he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, in what is hands-down one of the most shocking moments in Hollywood history. The incident — which has largely been dubbed as "the slap heard around the world" — has resulted in Smith receiving a 10-year ban from the Academy and facing a tidal wave of backlash from fans and fellow celebrities. Stars such as Jim Carrey, Steve Harvey, Zoë Kravitz, and Mia Farrow spoke out against the actor, with Harvey calling the slap a "punk move" and saying that he "lost a lot of respect" for Smith. Others, however, stood by the embattled star, including Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry — both of whom were seen consoling Smith immediately after his outburst, according to a report by the Independent.

Addressing the moment months later with Gayle King, Perry clarified that he wasn't comforting Smith, but rather was "de-escalating" the situation. "There's a difference between comforting and de-escalating," he told People. "And I left early to get to Chris to make sure he was okay." He also said that he didn't agree with Smith's actions and made sure to tell that to Smith. "And I'll tell you, when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn't believe what happened," recalled Perry. "He couldn't believe he did it." ... "I'm looking at this man in his eyes going, 'What are you doing? This is your night!'" More than a year since that incident, where does Perry stand with Smith? Are both actors still friends?

Tyler Perry spoke out in defense of Will Smith amid controversy following his Oscars outburst, which came after Chris Rock joked about his wife Jada's shaved head. (Jada suffers from a hair loss condition called alopecia.) Discussing the incident with Gayle King, Perry said that while he didn't agree with how things were handled, he did sympathize with Smith. "Something triggered him," the "Madea" star said (via Rolling Stone). "That was so out of everything he is."

He went on to explain that Smith's rash decision to attack Rock may have been due to his childhood trauma, which Smith talked about in his 2021 memoir "Will." "In his book, there's this moment about not being able to protect his mother [as a child]. I know that feeling," said Perry, who himself has been open about his own tragic childhood. "I know that feeling of being a man and thinking about the little boy. If that trauma is not dealt with right away as you get older, it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time." Nevertheless, he stressed that Smith's actions were wrong and that Rock was a "pure champion" with the way he handled the situation. He also stated that navigating the situation between his friends had been tricky. "Being friends with both of them has been very difficult," admitted Perry.

Despite the incident, Perry has continued to stand with Smith as the "King Richard" star tried to move past the controversy and worked hard on redeeming himself.

In the months since the highly controversial Oscars slap, Will Smith has staged a career comeback with a triumphant return to the big screen in 2022's historical action-thriller "Emancipation." The movie, in which he stars as a runaway slave, has earned Smith the NAACP Image Award for outstanding actor in a motion picture — his first recognition since winning best actor for "King Richard" at the 94th Academy Awards. "Throughout my career, I've turned down many films that were set in slavery. I never wanted to show us like that. And then this picture came along," Smith told People of his latest film. "This is a film about resilience. This is a film about faith."

Despite the initial backlash to his infamous #SlapGate moment with Chris Rock, several stars came out to support his Hollywood comeback, including among others, Tyler Perry, who attended a private screening of "Emancipation" hosted by Smith in October 2022. Joining them were Rihanna, Dave Chapelle, A$AP Rocky, and more. "I'm still haunted by 'Emancipation.' It's truly powerful, moving and captivating. And the conversation afterward with this group was legendary," Perry wrote on his Instagram Stories (via Variety). "Thank you, Will Smith, for the preview." Smith, for his part, shared his appreciation to Perry when he joined him in Atlanta to promote his new movie. "Thanx @tylerperry for all the Love!" he wrote.