TV host Richard Madeley has blasted comedian Chris Rock as the most ‘unpleasant’ person he has ever interviewed amid a shocking incident involving Will Smith at the Academy Awards.
The Oscars ceremony was stunned into silence when Smith slapped the host of the event across the face following a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Rock, 57, incurred the King Richard star’s wrath after teasing the actor about her shaven head following a battle with Alopecia.
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Smith, 53, who later apologised for the incident after collecting his first Oscar for his depiction of the Williams sisters’ father, wept on stage as he admitted “love will make you do crazy things”.
But on Good Morning Britain on Monday, Madeley, 65, described Chris as the "most unpleasant person I've interviewed without hesitation" as he weighed in on the heated exchange, the Mirror reports.
"I was asked by GQ Magazine some years ago. He 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", he told Susanna Reid.
"It was for the film Madagascar. Had it been live, it would have been abandoned.
"He was the most unpleasant, rude, aggressive, unlikeable person I’ve ever interviewed on camera, without question. His behaviour was awful in my book. He is the most unpleasant celebrity I've ever had the misfortune of interviewing."
Later in the programme, Richard continued to slam Chris for joking: "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2", calling him a "toxic person".
He added: "If a man makes a crude and rude remark about their woman, you are playing with fire. I'm not saying its right."
Co-host Susanna Reid, 51, interjected: "That is an assault and it's not ok. There is no justification for hitting another human being."
While the presenter said Will is a "great person to interview", she added: "It's not ok to get on stage and hit a human-being".
Hollywood watched in shock as Chris made the reference to Demi Moore's shaven head in 1997 war drama GI Jane as he commented on Jada's buzzcut.
While Jada looked visibly upset, her husband Will - who went on to win Best Actor later in the evening - walked up to the stage and slapped the presenter, before returning to his seat and yelling: "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."
Jada has previously spoken out about her decision to shave her head, after suffering from alopecia.
Chris appeared shocked by the incident, as he tried to resume presenting the best documentary feature category.
Jada has previously revealed her reasons for shaving her head, after struggling with alopecia.
Speaking on Instagram last year, the actress explained: "Now at this point, I can only laugh… y’all know I’ve been struggling with alopecia. Just all of a sudden, one day…it just showed up like that.
"Now, this is going to be a little bit more difficult for me to hide. So, I thought I’d just share it so y’all not asking any questions…Mama’s gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something. Me and this alopecia are going to be friends … period!"
Moments after the shocking incident on Sunday night, Variety reported Will's publicist Meredith O. Sullivan approached the actor and spoke with him during a break.
It was also reported that fellow actor Denzel Washington got up to speak to Will privately.
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Later on in the evening, Will went on to win his first Oscar for his performance in King Richard and apologised on stage for his previous actions.
"Love will make you do crazy things," the emotional winner confessed, referencing his outburst.
He also revealed what Denzel Washington said to him after the smack: "At your highest, that’s when the devil comes for you."
Will went on to apologise to the Academy, and to his fellow nominees.
Throughout his moving speech, the dad-of-two also spoke of Richard Williams - father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams - being a "protector" of his family.
