The 94th Academy Awards will forever be remembered for more than just celebrating cinematic excellence—it was the night that left the world stunned. The now-infamous moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage sent shockwaves across the globe and ignited debates that still linger today. And now, tennis legend Serena Williams has weighed in on the incident once again, offering a refreshingly honest perspective.

The former American sensation engaged in an interaction with The New York Times and deliberated on a wide range of topics including her life after retirement and her off-court endeavors. She also opened up about her bond with Will Smith after the incident that unfolded at the Oscars and detailed how things unfolded for her at the venue. When quizzed if she ever talked to Smith after the incident, Williams made an honest revelation.

Speaking in the interview, Williams admitted speaking to Smith after the incident. “Oh yeah, you know, I listen. I have my faults and I have had some public moments where they weren’t my finest moments and so I just understand that sometimes you don’t make your best decisions. So yeah, I have,” she said. The controversy erupted in 2022 when Smith approached Rock and hit him in the face for joking about the shaved head of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia. Serena was present in the ceremony along with her elder sister Venus Williams to witness Smith receive the Best Actor award for the movie ‘King Richard,’ made on the life of the father of the Williams sisters.

Continuing further in the interview, Serena Williams revealed that she was not present in her seat when the incident took place. “I was actually backstage and I thought Oh My God I got to get back and see what is happening here and so I ran back to my seat as fast as I could to you know, get the juicy details,” she said. Interestingly, this is not the first time when she has opened up about the entire episode.

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In a conversation with Gayle King on CBS Mornings in 2023, Williams said, “I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed.” Continuing further, she subtly opined that the incident took place in the heat of the moment and that Smith should be forgiven for his outburst. “I’m the kind of person that’s like, I’ve been there, I’ve made a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. We’re all imperfect and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other. And I think that’s often forgotten a lot,” she said back then.

When Will Smith’s remark about Serena Williams’ father drew apparent disagreement

After the entire drama unfolded at the Academy Awards, Will Smith was soon on the stage receiving the award for his role in ‘King Richard.’ He apologized for his gesture and said, “I want to apologize to the academy; I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.” Following that, he made a cheeky remark about ‘King Richard’ which seemingly left Serena Williams, both amused and a little perplexed.

Speaking at the venue, Smith said, “Art imitates life; I look like the crazy father, just like they say. I look like crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things.” As he made this statement, Williams was seen covering her face with her hands with her gestures signifying that she took it as a light-hearted joke. However, her half-brother Chavoita LeSane appeared to be at odds with Smith.

“My dad is not a violent man unless, you know, someone is coming at him in an aggressive manner. I don’t know if my dad holds grudges against anyone and my dad will always take the high road. That’s something I admire about my dad,”  he said.

Now, it will be interesting to see how the tennis world would react to Serena Williams’ latest take that highlights how moments like these can spark larger conversations about emotions, accountability, and human imperfection.