Beloved TV judge Greg Mathis is stepping into the Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscar slap conversation days after Jada Pinkett Smith addressed the controversy on her Facebook show, “Red Table Talk.”
In an interview with Page Six, Judge Mathis spoke about the smudge on the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony where the blockbuster star violated Chris Rock.
As reported by AllHipHop.com, Will Smith smacked Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldhead. The aftermath severed Smith’s relationship, not only with the Brooklyn funny man but with the Academy.
“I think anytime you commit an assault, you commit a crime. And committing an assault, no matter how embarrassing or humiliating, does not legitimize an assault,” said the 62-year-old host of “The Judge Mathis” show.
Judge Mathis also said he understood where Smith was coming from, referring to the reason behind the confrontation. Judge Mathis has been married for 30-plus years to his wife Linda and is the father of four adult children, Jade, Camara, Greg Jr., and Amir.
Judge Mathis said he also would have responded but kept it “professional.”
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However, I would have yelled from my seat,” Mathis said. “I gotta tell ya, I would’ve been a little disruptive. I would say, ‘Watch out, bro! Don’t talk about my wife again, Chris.’ I might have done that or be more diplomatic. I would speak with Chris backstage and let him know that he insulted my wife and that he owes my wife an apology. That’s the professional Greg Mathis.”
But he also added, “If someone smacks me, I can’t walk around Detroit. I would have to do something…before they slap, those guys they crack a joke … but with me, if they smack me, it is another level. I would check him in some form or fashion.”
The never-boring judge who “knows a crackhead when I see one” has a new reality show called “Mathis Family Matters” premiering on E! June 19th at 9:30 pm.