Fat Joe Responds to Question on If Will Smith Slap Makes Minorities Look Bad, Says Will 'Is Like the Best We Got'

With the aftershocks of Will Smith’s infamous slap on Chris Rock at the Oscars still reverberating, Fat Joe was asked a specific question from New York TMZ producer Seleah Simone: “As a minority, do you feel like it makes us kinda look bad? People are saying that.”

Joe responded, “Of course it does. It’s sad ’cause Will’s such a beautiful person, but he’s taken a hit because, you know, we’ve come such a long way and we telling everybody respect us. Had it been 50 Cent or Fat Joe, I would understand. But Will Smith? He’s like the best we got,” he continued.

“So it’s unfortunate that happened to [Smith], man, because he deserves—he been fighting so hard, he been working his whole life, he’s been an expert, example for us. And it’s unfortunate it happened to him, but people are definitely looking at that, saying we don’t know how to act. For sure.”

This isn’t the first time the rapper has offered his thoughts on the incident, which has dominated pop culture headlines since the Oscars went down at the end of last month.

In a livestream immediately after the slap, Joe congratulated Rock for taking the hit and continuing to present the award for Best Documentary. “Had I been Chris Rock, I wouldn’t’ve swung back either, I’m keeping it real with you,” he said. “You gotta be a professional, you know where you at. All the money’s in the room, America’s watching. … The most decent, kindest guy in the world, Will Smith, jumped out his skin and did this. They look at us, like, ‘Man, look at that, these guys can’t act at the Oscars.’”