Richard Madeley calls Chris Rock the ‘most unpleasant celeb he has ever met’ after Will Smith slaps comedian

Richard Madeley has declared Chris Rock not just the “most unpleasant celebrity” he has ever met, but the “most unpleasant person” too.

The veteran TV presenter made his remarks on Good Morning Britain as he discussed Will Smith slapping Rock at this year’s Oscars after he made an insensitive joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers with the autoimmune disease alopecia.

“I was asked by GQ Magazine some years ago... he [Rock] was the most unpleasant person I’ve ever interviewed of my entire career, and that goes back to 1972 when I started at a local newspaper,” Mr Madeley recalled.

“I said, without hesitation, Chris Rock. It’s on the record, Chris Rock.”

Will Smith stunned the world when he walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars after the comedian made an insensitive joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith (Getty Images)

Elaborating further, he told how he and wife Judy Finnegan had met the US comedian when he was promoting children’s animated movie Madagascar.

“It was a pre-recorded interview,” the father-of-two continued. “If it had been live, we would have abandoned it. He was the most unpleasant, rude, aggressive, unlikeable person I’ve ever interviewed on camera, without question.

“We edited around all the difficult bits and the interview that went out looked alright, but actually, his behaviour was awful. In my book, he’s the most unpleasant celebrity I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”

Clarifying that he did not condone Smith’s actions, he said that he could however understand his anger.

Jada Pinkett Smith (R) has openly discussed her battle with autoimmune disease alopecia (Getty Images)

“I don’t condone it, what he did was wrong, but I do understand it,” he told viewers of the ITV breakfast show.

He added: “If Judy had alopecia and someone used her condition as material, I’m not sure what I’d do.”

His co-host Susanna Reid was not buying it however, insisting there was no excuse for Smith’s actions.

“He doesn’t merit a slap. It’s not okay, sorry, slapping people is not okay,” she stated.

Richard Madeley’s Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid said Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars were ‘not ok' (ITV)

“I’m not justifying what he did but I can see why 50 percent of our viewers think it’s okay. We saw a moment of flawed humanity,” Madeley countered.

Reid added: “Also this point about, ‘I was defending her’. Yes if she was being assaulted, I understand, but not over a joke.

“If they condone it and say there was a justification for it, they’re saying it’s alright that if something says something and then gets hurt, it’s okay.”

Organisers of the Oscars have issued a statement on the incident via social media saying they do “not condone violence of any forms”.