Chris Rock was not Will Smith's first slap, remember the Ukrainian man who tried to KISS HIM?
Will Smith may be widely disliked at the moment despite winning his first-ever Oscar for 'King Richard', but Chris Rock was not his first victim. Way back in 2012, Smith let his now-famous temper get the better of him as he slapped a Ukrainian jokester while on the red carpet for 'Men in Black III', a newly-resurfaced video shows. The incident occurred in Moscow back when Russia was a key part of Hollywood.
Rock may have declined to press charges but that hasn't stopped widespread condemnation of Smith from growing. Smith also issued an apology on Instagram, but it appears it hasn't done much to win over fans. There's now a growing call for Smith to be stripped of his Oscar, a move the Academy is reportedly weighing. Of course, some also saw the funny side of "slapgate", including one enterprising Wikipedia editor.
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As we previously reported, Rock is far from the first to be at the receiving end. In 1989, Smith was arrested for aggravated assault after asking his bodyguard to attack a record promoter, nearly blinding him. But while those charges have since been dismissed, it appears Smith let his temper get the better of him on at least one other occasion - the 'Men in Black III' Moscow premiere.
Smith's 2012 slapgate incident
While on the red carpet, Smith came face to face with Ukrainian jokester Vitalii Sediuk. Of course, Smith isn't the first to be pranked by Sediuk, the jokester has a long list of wild altercations with celebrities, which have more often than not ended with him being escorted away by security. However, Smith was not one of those who'd been at the receiving end until the Moscow premiere.
Sediuk reached out and attempted to kiss Smith on both cheeks, claiming it was a traditional Ukrainian greeting. In response, Smith shoved him away, said, "What the hell is your problem man?" and then gave him a backhanded slap. The slap wasn't as hard as the one Rock received, but it certainly did enough to make the actor's publicist anxious. In another clip, the actor downplayed the incident, saying, "He tried to kiss me on the mouth…he’s lucky I didn’t sucker punch him." Then realizing where he is, Smith added, "Oh, I said that on camera – you know it's all good." If you want to see the slap, the Associated Press still has the video up on YouTube, along with a few other clips from the premiere that day.
According to The New York Post, the incident wasn't widely condemned at all. In fact, Jay-Z rang up Smith and said, "I just want you to know you’ll never make a better piece of entertainment. It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever seen." During an interview with Tidal’s Rap Radar podcast, Smith acknowledged the slap and defended it, saying, "I’m pissed that somebody thinks because you’re famous, they get to do whatever they want to do to you."
For his part, Sediuk responded by telling The Sun, "I don’t want to call Will Smith uncontrollable. (He has a) violent temper, yes, but I’m sure he realizes what he is doing." Sediuk was responding to the Rock slap when he told The Sun, "The issue was how he did that. I’m sure he could have found a classier way." The prankster also called Rock's joke "inappropriate", but added, "Will’s reaction is unnecessary."
Like Rock, it appears Sediuk has clearly forgiven Smith for the slap. It should come as little surprise though because the prankster has a long list of celebs he's angered to the point that many have even filed restraining orders against him.
