Richard Williams’ Son Doesn’t “Condone” Will Smith’s Oscars Slap

Chavoita LeSane, the son of Richard Williams, is speaking out about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

“We don’t know all the details of what happened, but we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense,” Chavoita said, per a statement to NBC.

Chavoita is the half-brother to Serena and Venus Williams, who all share Richard as their father.

The statement comes after Will—who played Richard in the film King Richard—slapped Chris onstage for taking a jab at Jada Pinkett Smith‘s shaved head, as she suffers from alopecia.

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?,” Chris said during the March 27 ceremony.

After the physical outburst, Will returned to his seat in the audience before shouting, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth!”

Later in the evening, Will returned to the spotlight to accept the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. During his emotional acceptance speech, Will not only addressed the altercation, but compared his protective behavior to Richard’s.