Nikki Glaser says SHE will accept Will Smith's apology for Chris Rock slap
Nikki Glaser addressed her own feelings about Will Smith openly slapping Chris Rock over a joke while reminiscing on her career as a stand-up comedian. "I accept Will Smith's apology, not on behalf of Chris Rock, but for him, I can tell that he is ashamed of how he behaved." Glaser, 37, stated.
"I trust that he is going through things that we don't understand," Glaser told Us Weekly exclusively while introducing her new show "Welcome Home Nikki Glaser?" which premieres on Sunday, May 1 on E! at 10:00 p.m. ET. "Because you do not do that if you are not in pain. So, I actually have a lot of empathy for Will Smith," Glaser added.
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Glaser, the TV host admitted that what transpired at the 2022 Oscars "horrified" her at first. "[I was] kind of scared for myself in terms of what kind of ideas people might get with copycatting someone who is arguably one of the safest men ever," she continued, "I do think that I forgive him and that he did the right thing with that Instagram statement. I am ready to accept him back into the world if he shows that he has grown from it."
Will, 53, made the news late last month when he was involved in an altercation at the 94th Academy Awards. Rock, 57, made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being in G.I. Jane 2 due of her shaved head while presenting an award. Jada, who suffers from baldness, rolled her eyes as Will approached the stage and slapped the comedian.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star eventually apologised to Rock on social media before resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result, Will has been barred from all Oscars festivities for the next ten years. "I accept and respect the Academy's decision," Will said in a statement to Page Six.
When asked about the event, Glaser said she would have approached making a joke about Pinkett Smith differently if she had been in the same situation. "It's a dumb little throw away joke. I would not have known about her alopecia. I would've said that [I am] just joking. And if he slapped me, I would be so embarrassed and so scared because it's an assault," she told Us. "But I do think that I would apologize for hurting someone [Will] loves and actually hurting Jada in that way. Not knowing about her history of alopecia, not knowing how painful alopecia is for people who suffer with it and saying, 'Listen, now I won't do that again.'"
The FBOY Island presenter also discussed how her stand-up comedy background has influenced her sense of humor. "My intent is never to offend or hurt anyone's feelings. Now that doesn't mean that I don't accidentally do that sometimes," she admitted to Us. "The difference between me and I think a lot of comedians now is that comedians always say that they will not apologize. It's just a joke. I acknowledge that jokes can hurt and I will apologize if I hurt someone."
Glaser's personal and professional lives will be the focus of her next reality show, "Welcome Home, Nikki Glaser?" Her passion in reality television, according to the Ohio native, helped her figure out what she wanted her own show to be like. "The persona I have in the public eye is already as close to a reality show character that you would see because I'm not pretending to be anything I'm not. I really am honest all the time with everything I do and that wasn't always how I started out," she explained. "I'm still a work in progress that's trying to accept myself, but I really do know who I am now. I know my limitations and I am really comfortable being myself."
Glaser went on to say, "The only reason I did this reality show was because I was at a point where I was ready to be completely honest. I wouldn't have done it otherwise because I'm a reality show connoisseur and I want my reality as organic as possible. I don't wanna see stuff that is manufactured. I did not set out on a course to pitch a reality show until I knew that I was ready to show every little bad part of myself and it turns out I'm not such a bad person."