Tyler Perry says Will Smith was ‘devastated’ after infamous Oscars slap

Will Smith was “devastated” after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, according to Tyler Perry — who was seen speaking with the actor moments after his infamous onstage meltdown.

Perry, who is friends with both Smith and Rock, spoke publicly about the slap heard around the world for the first time Monday during a storyteller conversation with Gayle King at the Tribeca Film Festival, Variety reported.

“I left early to go and check on Chris because it was wrong in no uncertain terms,” Perry said, according to the entertainment publication. “I made sure I said that to Will, and when we walked over to him, he was devastated. He couldn’t believe what happened.”

Perry, 52, said he tried his best to “de-escalate” the situation at the March awards ceremony at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre. He said he believes Smith, 53, is still reflecting on his actions.

“I think he is very much in reflection of trying to figure out what happened,” Perry said.

He also speculated that Smith’s impulse reaction to hit Rock after the 57-year-old comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair may have come from a place of childhood trauma.

Perry cited a passage in Smith’s memoir “Will” in which the actor described an instance when he was an 8-year-old child unable to protect his mother, according to Variety.

“I know that feeling, I’m getting chills thinking about it,” Perry said. “I know that feeling of being a man and thinking about the little boy. If that trauma is not dealt with right away as you get older, it will show up in the most inappropriate, most horrible time.”

Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia and shaved her head due to hair loss. Rock compared her to Demi Moore’s bald character “G.I. Jane,” which prompted the slap from Smith.

“Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth!” Smith shouted — twice — after he struck Rock.

Perry said being close to both Smith and Rock has been challenging and made clear that he did not attempt to comfort Smith following the incident.

“There’s a difference between comforting and de-escalating,” Perry said. “Being friends with both of them, it’s been very difficult.”

Smith has publicly apologized to Rock and subsequently resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, meaning he can no longer vote on future Oscars.

In April, the actor — who won a 2022 Oscar for his performance in “King Richard” — was banned from all Oscar-related events for 10 years because of the assault.