Jada Pinkett Thought The Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Was ‘A Skit’

Jada Pinkett Thought The Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Was ‘A Skit’

Jada Pinkett Smith is revealing what went through her mind when her husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards.

“I thought, ‘This is a skit,’ ” Jada, 52, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, while discussing her new book Worthy, out Oct. 17. “I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him.’ It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit.”

Will, 55, struck Rock, 58, onstage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre after the comedian made a joke about Jada’s alopecia, which causes bald spots and hair loss. Will would later go on to win the award for Best Actor during the ceremony.

Jada tells PEOPLE that the first words she spoke to Will once they were alone were: “Are you okay?”

Will was banned from attending Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events — including the Oscars — for 10 years in the days following the incident. He has since apologized multiple times for his actions, including apologies to Rock and a confession that he simply “lost it” during an appearance on The Daily Show last November