Hollywood actor, Eddie Murphy has explained why he had to make a jibe about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock
While accepting a Golden Globe on Tuesday January 10, Eddie joked that one key to success was to ‘keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!’
Now, The Coming to America star has come out to address the jibe he made during the award ceremony.
When asked whether he had spoken to Smith or Rock since making the joke, the 61-year-old comedy icon said: ‘No, I haven’t. But I love both of them.’
Murphy added to Entertainment Tonight: ‘Yeah, because in reality, I’ve worked with Jada. I love Will. I love Will, and I love Chris — and it’s all love.’
The actor then said that he doesn’t believe he will hear from Smith after making the remark, and told Extra he would have made the same joke if he were hosting this year’s Oscars.
‘I would have worked that joke that I did right in there some kind of way,’ he told Extra.
Explaining why he told the joke, Murphy revealed: ‘You have to say something about it, then you move on.’
Eddie made the joke when he was presented with the prestigious Cecil B. DeMille award celebrating ‘outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.’
He closed out his speech with a message for ‘all the new up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room tonight.’
The Shrek star teased: ‘I wanna let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind.’
He shared that the to-do list was comprised of ‘three things – pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of f***ing mouth!’
Will slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars last March for making a bald joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who shaved her head because she has alopecia.
One of the memorable moments of the shocking outburst was Will warning him to: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!’
After his outburst, Will was awarded the best actor Oscar and received a standing ovation for his tearful speech in which he called himself a protector of his family and expressed a desire to be a ‘vessel of love.’
Although he apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his speech, he did not issue a public apology to Chris until the following day.
The Academy later made him resign from the organization. They also imposed a 10-year ban on attending the ceremony, though he can still be nominated for and win Oscars.