• DJ Jazzy Jeff, Will Smith's longtime friend and collaborator, commented on the actor's Oscars slap.
  • He said the incident was not something that Smith was "proud of." 
  • I can name 50 times that he should've smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn't," Jeff said.

DJ Jazzy Jeff has come to Will Smith's defense after the actor's infamous Oscars slap. 

Jeff, a longtime friend and collaborator of Smith's, said the actor's altercation with comedian Chris Rock during the March 28 award ceremony was nothing more than a "lapse in judgment."

"Don't get it twisted that it was something he was proud of," the Grammy Award-winning DJ said during a Closed Sessions Legend Conversation he hosted at Dorian's Through The Record Shop in Chicago. A now-deleted video from the event was shared on the WGCI Instagram page. 

"I think the thing that I've realized is I don't know too many people that have had the least amount of lapse of judgment than him. I can name 50 times that he should've smacked the shit out of somebody and he didn't," Jeff continued.  

Jeff and Smith formed the legendary hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince in the late eighties. The seasonal anthem "Summertime" earned a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group in 1992. Jeff was also a fixture on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

DJ Jazzy Jeff expressed empathy for his friend at an event he was hosting. Foto: Lisa Lake/Getty Images for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Smith struck Rock after the comedian made a crack about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's bald head by jokingly suggesting she would be appearing in the sequel to "G.I. Jane." Pinkett Smith has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia on social media.

"For him to have a lapse in judgment, he's human," Jeff said. "And I think a lot of the criticism comes from the people who don't think people like that are human."

Smith apologized to Rock for his actions in a post on Instagram, however, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences issued Smith a 10-year ban from their events, including the annual Oscars ceremony. 

Other celebrities, including Tiffany Haddish, Tatyana Ali, Michael Bay, and Nicki Minaj have also expressed public support for the actor. 

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