Richard Williams has broken his silence on the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars drama.
Celebrities and fans the world over were left stunned after AI star Will stormed the stage to slap host Chris Rock in the face over a jibe about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Just moments after Will, 53, smacked the comedian, he was awarded the Best Actor gong for his role as King Richard, based on the life of Serena and Venus Williams' dad.
The plot outlines how he trained up his world-champion record holding daughters - both executive producers of the film - to be famous players, as reports the Mirror.
Chris had quipped in front of the auditorium full of people that he couldn't wait for "GI Jane 2" in relation to Jada's buzzcut.
Jada has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia in the past, which prompted Will's heavy-handed reaction.
Just moments later, Fresh Prince star Will marched on to the stage and smacked the presenter, before shouting "keep my wife's name out your f***ing mouth."
In his Oscar acceptance speech, Smith referenced Williams senior when explaining his actions. "Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family," Smith said. "In this time in my life, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world."
The Academy has since condemned his actions and launched an investigation.
Dad-of-three Will publicly apologised to Get Hard star Chris last night on his Instagram page and said "violence is poisonous".
And now the real 'King Richard' has weighed in, although he was cautious about fully judging Smith's actions.
"We don't know all the details of what happened," he told NBC News. "But we don't condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it's in self-defence."
Williams, 80, spoke to NBC News through his son, Chavoita LeSane. Since his father suffered a stroke in 2016, LeSane has acted as his spokesperson.
And the 48-year-old added that "Williams was quite surprised" by Smith's actions. Indeed, many have accused the star of tainting the night not just for himself, but the Williams family as well.
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