Will Smith's sudden and shocking outburst at the Oscars was "triggered by his childhood trauma", a friend of the star has claimed.
The 53-year-old actor issued a grovelling apology to Chris Rock on Tuesday after walking up onto the Academy Awards stage and slapping him live on air.
His Oscar win is now "under review" following his behaviour, which he himself has admitted was "unacceptable and inexcusable.
The stand-up comedian, 57, had made a reference to alopecia sufferer Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head by joking that he couldn't wait for "GI Jane 2".
Despite initially appearing to laugh, Will's demeanour seemed to abruptly change as he stormed onto the stage and slapped Chris across the face on live TV.
Chris attempted to laugh off the awkward moment - which fans had believed was part of the show initially - but the atmosphere in the room turned when Will furiously shouted: "Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth.”
According to sources, friends believe that Will was "triggered" to react violently after his childhood trauma.
They have suggested that Will might have recalled feeling helpless when he was nine and witnessed his mum being beaten by his father Willard Carroll Smith Sr.
An insider close to Mark Manson, who co-wrote Will's 2021 memoir, told The Sun that he is "horrified" by the turn of events and feels ashamed.
They continued to claim that Will is happy to "have some for his unresolved childhood issues and will do what he can to make good on his momentary lapse in judgment".
The source added: "Essentially, though, Will was deeply triggered by Chris’s demeaning comments about his wife’s alopecia. He was taken straight back to childhood, seeing his mum getting abused by his dad.
"This time he didn’t take it sitting down — and retaliated as, unfortunately, 50million people across the globe all saw.”
The Mirror has reached out to Will's reps for comment.
It comes after Will issued an apology and admitted that he was "out of line".
He wrote: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
"Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world."
Serena and Venus were in the audience watching Will accept the Oscar for playing their father in the movie, and Will also reached out to them, as he said sorry for his violent outburst overshadowing what should have been a momentous occasion.
“I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he concluded.
“I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”.
