The 'Mo Money Mo Problems' rapper reportedly 'knows people are hurting' by the 'King Richard' actor's confrontation with the comedian and 'doesn't want to become the middleman.'
- Mar 31, 2022
AceShowbiz - P. Diddy is setting the record straight. The "Mo Money Mo Problems" rapper has clarified that he "never" said that Will Smith and Chris Rock "had reconciled" following their awkward confrontation at the Oscars.
On Wednesday, March 30, the 52-year-old hip-hop star told TMZ, "I never confirmed they had reconciled." He then insisted that he was misquoted. "I said 'as brothers they will work it out and let's move on with love,' " he shared.
A source close to Diddy later spilled to the outlet that Diddy "knows people are hurting and doesn't want to become the middleman." The insider added that the "I'll Be Missing You" rapper doesn't want to "take the focus off of the conflict moving forward in the right way."
Diddy's statement came after he allegedly told Page Six that Smith and Rock were cool shortly after the "King Richard" actor slapped the comedian on stage during the 94th Academy Awards livecast. "That's not a problem. That's over. I can confirm that. It's all love. They're brothers," said the Bad Boy Records mogul, per the outlet.
Shortly after, a source close to Rock shot down the claims, stating that both Rock and Smith haven't spoken to each other since the incident. It's also reported that Rock was left "shaken and bewildered" and immediately went to his dressing room with "no intention" of staying after he was smacked over his joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved hair.
More recently, Rock broke his silence about the matter during his first standup show since the attack. While performing at The Wilbur in Boston on March 30, the famed comic told the crowd that he didn't have much to say about the incident, since he's still "processing what happened."
"I don't have a bunch of s**t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened," Rock said. He further shared that he would eventually talk about it later, "So, at some point I'll talk about that s**t. And it will be serious and funny."
As for Smith, he had issued a public apology to Rock. "My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," he said in a statement via Instagram on March 28. He later tried to justify his anger, stating, "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."
Smith's apology came after the Academy condemned the slap and officially started a formal review of the incident. "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law," said the organization in a statement.
One day after Smith posted the apology note, it's reported that his Calabasas mansion was visited by cops. However, the visit wasn't related to his Oscars slap as a spokesperson for LAPD said that deputies were sent to "The Pursuit of Happyness" star's house after someone reported a drone flying over the ritzy neighborhood.
