Will Smith recounts the 'horrific' Oscar slap incident as he promotes his new film

Ahead of his upcoming film 'Emancipation', Will Smith touches on the Oscars night that saw him both win his first-ever Oscar and land the controversial slap that may have ruined everything.

Dropping by Trevor Noah's "The Daily Show" on Monday night, the popular actor talked about his latest project, revealing his hopes that the altercation between him and Chris Rock doesn't affect the reception to the new movie.

"The idea that they might be denied because of me," said Smith as he groaned. "That is killing me dead ... I hope that their work will be honored and their work will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part. The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don't penalize my team. At this point, that's what I'm working for."

When asked about what happened on the eventful Oscars night, the actor described it as "horrific" adding that he lost his cool.

"I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody's going through," he told Noah's audience.

At a later part of the interview, he attached part of his reaction all the way back to his childhood.

In his words, "It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. All of that just bubbled up in that moment."

Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscars' saga

Entertainers Chris Rock and Smith were involved in an altercation during the 2022 Academy Awards event.

Rock was on stage to present the Oscar for documentary feature and joked about Jada Pinkett Smith being in "G.I. Jane."

The joke evoked riotous laughter because of Jada's shaved head, but the laughter was short-lived as Smith approached the stage to hit Rock on the face.

This reaction was widely criticised by many and has led to disciplinary actions from the Academy.

Following the slap, Smith has been banned from attending all Academy events for 10 years. The ban holds even if he is nominated for an award.

Watch the interview: