Tatyana Ali defended Will Smith, she claims he is a “beautiful person.”
The 44-year-old former “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” actress, who portrayed Ashley Banks, Will’s cousin, in the NBC comedy from 1990 to 1996, declined to comment on Will’s assault on comedian Chris Rock, 58, at the 2022 Oscars.
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She told Page Six at Variety’s Power of Women luncheon in New York that Smith is a lovely person who has done so much good. She made it clear that she doesn’t want to discuss the Oscars slap since the person involved is close to her and it hurts. She also discussed how her parents helped to discipline her while she was a child star.
After Tony Rock, Chris’ actor and comedian brother, said Will did not contact his elder sibling to apologise for hitting him at the 2022 Academy Awards, she backed and defended Will Smith.
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Despite Will, 54, claiming in a video in July that he had “reached out” to Chris Rock, but the stand-up comedian had not been ready to talk, the man argued that his version of events was accurate.
Will revealed on Instagram the day after he hit Chris in the face at the Oscars for the teasing of his 51-year-old wife Jada’s buzzcut and said:
“I would like to apologise to you Chris, I was out of line and I was wrong.”
Smith also uploaded a grovelling video in July 2022 where he apologised to Chris, acknowledged his actions were wrong, and offered to talk whenever Chris Rock was ready to resolve the matter.
ALSO READ: Chris Rock to address Will Smith slap in a Netflix special
Who is Tatyana Ali?
Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress who gained notoriety for her six-season recurring role as Ashley Banks on the television show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
She has been singing since she was just four years old, and she does it with great enthusiasm. She has released three singles and two albums.
On many “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” episodes, she sang. Will Smith had encouraged her to seriously consider pursuing a musical career after recognising her musical talent.
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When she was six years old, she also began her performing career as a child artist. She rose to fame thanks to her ground-breaking performance as Ashley Banks in “The Fresh Prince” of Bel-Air.
She also became Roxanne in the cast of “The Young and the Restless,” where she remained in till 2013.
Tatyana has carved out a place for herself in the entertainment industry with her credits including 32 films and 23 television programmes. Tatyana, who received the Living Legacy Award, has also won a number of other honours, including two awards for Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama for “The Young and the Restless” and one for Outstanding Young Comedienne in a Television Series for “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
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