He slapped all of us, says Chris Rock's mother on Will Smith's infamous Oscar slap

American comedian Chris Rock's mother, Rose Rock, has joined the conversation about the controversial Oscar slap her son received at the hands of actor Will Smith.

On March 28, during a segment hosted by the comedian, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor walked up on stage and slapped him for commenting on his wife Jada Pinket Smith's appearance. He was presenting live on-stage at the Oscars and took a jab at Jada's shaved head, asking whether she'll be appearing in G.I. Jane 2. "Jada I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," he said, referencing the 1997 film in which Demi Moore undergoes Navy Seal training and shaves her head to seem less feminine.

Jada, who has been open about dealing with alopecia, appeared uncomfortable because of the joke. Soon after, Will walked up to Chris on stage and slapped him, after which he went back to his seat and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth!”

Chris, in a very contained manner, continued to present, however, it shook many celebrities sitting alongside Smith and many viewers online who criticised him for slapping the comedian. Almost a month after the incident, Rose, a motivational speaker and author, told an American news station that her son is still "processing" the incident and that a 10-year ban on Will is "hardly punishment".

According to Entertainment Weekly, Rose said, "When Will slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. But he really slapped me. When you hurt my child, you hurt me." Upon being asked what she would've said to Smith, Rose told the news channel that she would've asked what he was even thinking.

Rose said that while Smith slapped Chris, so many things could've happened in the moment. "Chris could have stepped back and fallen. You [Will] really could have gotten taken out in handcuffs. You didn't think. You reacted to your wife giving you the side-eye, and you went up, and you made her day because she was bowled over laughing when it happened."

The author also claims that the incident was scripted up until Smith started "with the obscenities". She also referenced the 10-year Oscar ban on the I Am Legend star and said, "What does that mean? You don't even go every year." Rose also said that while she doesn't believe Smith should have his Oscar revoked, she hopes her son gets a much "deserved" and genuine apology from him, referring to Smith's Instagram post apologising to Chris.

"His people wrote up a piece and said, 'I apologise to Chris Rock,' but something like that is personal. You reach out," she said.

The Academy had launched an investigation soon after the incident with Smith ultimately resigning as a member. However, that didn't stop The Academy board from giving their own verdict which was to ban Smith from Academy events or programmes, in person or virtually, including the Oscars, for a decade.