Serena Williams has broken her silence and defended the shocking moment Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars almost a year ago. 

Speaking to Gayle King on CBS Mornings, the tennis star said that everyone deserves forgiveness after the actor jumped on stage and shocked audiences across the world with his actions. 

Serena, 41, said that at times she has made her own mistakes and reminded viewers that ‘we’re all imperfect and we’re all human’. 

‘Then King Richard had that moment at the Oscars, what did you feel about that?’ Gayle asked the sporting ace. 

‘I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that was overshadowed,’ Serena said. 

The tennis legend (left) and Will Smith (right) pictured in Los Angeles in March 2022. Smith’s film King Richard, which he stared in and then won the Oscar for, told the story of Serena and Venus Williams and the mentorship of their father, Richard Williams

‘But I also feel that I have been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and I’ve made a tremendous amount of mistakes.

‘I’m the person that’s like, ”I’ve been there, I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world.” We’re all imperfect and we’re all human and let’s just be kind to each other.’

She finished: ‘So, that’s often forgotten a lot.’

King Richard is the film that tells the story of Serena and Venus Williams and the mentorship of their father, Richard Williams. 

Will portrays Richard in the film. But the awards night was overshadowed after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March last year, making international headlines. 

Chris, who was hosting the show, joked that Will’s wife Jada looked like ‘G.I. Jane’ because of her bald head. She had recently revealed that she suffers from alopecia.

Shocking the world of Showbiz! Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March last year

He went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard that night, but he did not specifically apologize to Chris

Will stormed the stage and slapped Rock after fuming: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth.’

He went on to win Best Actor for his role in King Richard that night, but he did not specifically apologize to Chris.

Following the incident, Will was seen partying the night away with his family at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash, dancing to his own song Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It as crowds cheered him on.

Will has since been banned from the Oscars for 10 years for slapping comedian Chris, but will be allowed to keep his award for Best Actor. 

However, a few days later he apologized in an official statement saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’.

‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote.

However, a few days later he apologized in an official statement saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’

‘My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.

‘I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.’

In November last year, Will spoke to Trevor Noah about the incident and said there was ‘rage’ inside him that night at the Oscars.

He also added that when he got home after the ceremony, his nine-year-old nephew was waiting and had seen the slap, asking him, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’

Struggles: In December 2021, she shared how she had been struggling with alopecia and encouraged her Instagram followers to ask questions

Will then took out his tissues and looked at Noah, joking, ‘Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?’

He added, ‘It was a mess, you know. I don’t want to go too far into it to give people more to misunderstand.’

After discussing his new movie, Noah joked they hadn’t seen him for a while, as Will began to open up about what he said was ‘a horrific night, as you can imagine.’

‘There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just… I lost it, you know?’ Will admitted.

‘I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all…’ he admitted.

‘It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. That is not who I want to be,’ he said.

‘I was gone. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time,’ Will said.

Emotional: In November last year, Will spoke to Trevor Noah about the incident and said there was ‘rage’ inside him that night at the Oscars