will jabari© Photo: Getty Images

Bel-Air star Jabari Banks supports mentor Will Smith following Oscars slap

The actor appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain

TV and film writer
July 11, 2022

Bel-Air star Jabari Banks has revealed his reaction to his "mentor" Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards back in March.

MORE: Will Smith features in video as son Jaden celebrates his birthday

The 23-year-old, who stars in the remake of Will's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday morning. 

WATCH: Will Smith assaults Chris Rock at 2022 Oscars

When asked by host Susanna Reid if he had spoken to Will since the shocking moment, he said: "I was and I keep my nose out of it. My name is Bennett and I ain't in it.

"But Will is also a great guy and I love what he stands for and what he's been to our community and what he means to me as an actor, an artist and an activist. Will's been a great mentor to me."

Susanna went on to recall the words of Hollywood icon Denzel Washington, who told Will following the slap: "At your highest moment be careful, that's when the devil comes for you."

MORE: Willow Smith pictured in tears in latest photo as fans send support

MORE: Where is Will Smith? - Three months on from Chris Rock Oscars slap

She said: "It's all about just rooting yourself isn't it?'

Jabari stars in the Fresh Prince reboot

Jabari responded: "Yeah, staying grounded and keeping the people around you that reassure you and make you feel safe."

Back in March, Will slapped Chris across the face after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith's hair loss. The 50-year-old actress suffers from alopecia and appeared to be less than impressed by the gag.

Following Will's Best Actor win for his role in King Richard, the Academy went on to release a statement on the incident. It said: "We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast."

© Photo: Getty Images

Will has been banned from the Oscars for ten years

A number of the 53-year-old's projects have been halted since the shocking moment. Sony has paused development on Bad Boys 4, Netflix has halted production on thriller movie, Fast and Loose, and Apple TV+ has reportedly moved the release date for their film, Emancipation, to 2023.

Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign up to Off Camera for all the gossip and goings-on from the wonderful world of TV and film

Email Address

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More TV and Film

See more