Will Smith's 'King Richard' Co-Star Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor Defends His Oscars Slap: 'I Stand With Him For That' | Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip

Will Smith‘s slap heard across the world is still making headlines, more than four years later.

As you’re probably well aware by now, Will got up on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face in response to a joke that he made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s shaved head. He also won the Best Actor award that night for his performance in King Richard.

Due to his actions, Will is banned from attending any Academy events for 10 years and his career took a major hit, including the delay of his movie Emancipation.

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Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor defends Will Smith’s slap

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor starred in King Richard as Will‘s on-screen wife and now she’s coming to his defense.

During an appearance on The Daily Beast‘s podcast Obsessed, Aunjanue said she “stands” by Will for his actions.

“I know that he wanted to protect his wife,” she said. “I stand by that. I stand with him for that.”

“I think that, you know, this idea that First Amendment rights should protect everybody? I don’t think it should necessarily protect assholes. I don’t. I don’t. I really don’t, especially if you’re causing harm,” she added.

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Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor voices issues with First Amendement

Aunjanue pointed out that people use the First Amendment to defend the Confedarate Flag.

“I know blanket First Amendment valorization. I don’t buy into that. I just don’t,” she said. “To say the least, it needs to be nuanced. You can’t use it as an excuse to harm someone.”

Aunjanue also praised Will‘s character.

“He just would not allow anybody to be treated poorly in his presence. He would just not allow it. And I cannot tell you how rare that is in this job,” she said. “I will always have a great deal of affection and care for him because he acted that way.”

Get the latest update on Will and Jada‘s relationship as of 2026.

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