Jada Pinkett, the US actress, says Chris Rock, the comedian, “asked me out” before he was slapped by Will Smith, her husband, at the Oscars.
At the 2022 Oscar Awards, Smith slapped Rock on stage in response to a joke about Jada’s shaved head — which was linked to her struggle with alopecia.
The incident triggered a flurry of reactions on social media, prompting Smith’s public apology to Rock and his subsequent resignation from the Oscars.
The Academy also took a stern stance by imposing a 10-year ban on Smith for his actions.
In an interview with People Magazine, Jada said Rock had contacted her back in the summer of 2016 during swirling rumours of trouble in her marriage with Smith.
The 52-year-old actress said the comedian had suggested taking her out, under the mistaken belief that she and her husband were on the verge of divorce.
Jada also said she clarified that the divorce rumours were false after which Rock apologised to her.
“I think every summer all the reports would come out that me and Will were getting a divorce,” she said.
“And this particular summer, Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce, so he called me and basically he was like, I would love to take you out.
“I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, are you and Will not getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumours’.
“He was appalled and he profusely apologised, and that was that.”
Jada earlier revealed that she and Smith have been living separately for seven years but agreed to not get a divorce.
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