Will Smith took home an Oscar for playing Richard Williams on Sunday night, but the win was overshadowed by the altercation with Chris Rock.
Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock has gone viral, and later in the evening, Smith won Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams in sporting drama 'King Richard'.
Speaking to NBC News, the real life inspiration for the Will Smith character said "we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defence.”
Williams was speaking through his son Chavoita LeSane, and said that he "was as surprised as anyone" at the now-infamous altercation between Smith and Rock at the Oscars, adding "we don't know all the details".
In his acceptance speech, Smith compared himself and his actions to Williams.
“I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things.”
The Williams sisters served as executive producers on 'King Richard' and were present at the ceremony when the altercation between Smith and Rock occurred.
The altercation between Smith and Rock has become the headline story from this year's Oscars, overshadowing the actual awards themselves.
Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature when he made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's appearance, joking that he was "looking forward to seeing her in 'GI Jane 2'
Over the years, Smith has spoken about suffering from alopecia, and Rock's joke provoked the now-infamous reaction from Will Smith.
The clip has now been viewed over 30 million times, and Smith has apologised for the incident calling it "wrong."
In a statement posted on his Instagram on Monday night, Smith wrote "violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive."
"My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
