Tyler Perry Opens Up About ‘De-Escalating’ Will Smith Oscars Slap Incident

etcanada.com:

Tyler Perry doesn’t really want to talk about the Oscars slap. On Monday night, the director appeared at the Tribeca Festival for a Q&A with “CBS Mornings” host Gayle King, and was asked about the incident at the awards show. READ MORE: Will Smith Talked About ‘Pain’ And Family ‘Protection’ In Interview With David Letterman Taped Before Oscars After Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, Perry was seen talking with Smith, appearing to comfort him. “There is a difference between comforting and de-escalating,” Perry told King after she asked him about the moment, according to Deadline. “My only problem with it is this: If I talk about it, then it becomes overshadowing of everything else we talked about.

That will be the headline, for sure,” he added. “We can make another headline,” King joked. “I am pregnant with Tyler’s child.

That’s the headline.” But Perry did continue to address the incident: “I was there, close up. I left early to go and check on Chris because it was wrong in no uncertain terms and I made sure I said that to Will.” Perry also said that Smith “was devastated.

He couldn’t believe what happened. He couldn’t believe he did it. And I’m looking at this man, in his eyes going, ‘What are you doing?