Jada Pinkett Smith Says Chris Rock Once Asked Her Out While She Was Married To Will, Giving Social Media Whole New Perspective On 'The Slap'

It's been nearly two years since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, sparking plenty of memes but also confusion, as Smith's outburst seemed relatively unprovoked at the moment. Rock had made a crack about the bald head of Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith (who suffers from alopecia), causing Will to slap Rock and deliver the now-iconic line, "Keep my wife's name out your --ing mouth!"

This morning, People Magazine reported on some history between Jada Smith and Chris Rock that may add some vital missing context to "The Slap."

In the interview with Jada, she explains that she and Smith have been "separated" since 2016, and Rock once asked her out amid rumors that she and Will were headed for divorce.

"Chris, he thought that we were getting a divorce. So he called me and basically he was like, ‘I'd love to take you out.’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean?’ He was like, ‘Well, aren't you and Will getting a divorce?’ I was like, ‘No. Chris, those are just rumors.’ He was appalled. And he profusely apologized and that was that.”

It's unclear when Rock asked out Jada, but considering divorce rumors have long followed the pair, it's likely the offer was made prior to the slap.

This revelation added new context to "The Slap" for many, as it may indicate that Smith wasn't randomly attacking a comedian who made a questionable joke at his wife's expense, but rather attacking a man who had hit on his wife. While it still didn't excuse Smith's violent outburst to many, it helped the incident make a lot more sense for social media users.

Still, many were confused as to why Jada continued to air the dirty laundry between her and Will, as the news she had been separated from Will for seven years seemed an unnecessary thing to reveal for some commenters.