Will Smith’s ex-wife Sheree Zampino warns he cannot ‘heal without forgiveness’ for Oscar slap

Sheree Zampino has broken her silence on ex-husband Will Smith's assault on Chris Rock at the Oscars, calling fans to forgive the Hollywood actor. 

The American actress has called for 'forgiveness' for the King Richard star after he attacked Chris Rock at the Oscars 2022 and insisted that she continues to 'support' him despite the incident. 

Sheree, 54, divorced Will Smith in 1995 after three years of marriage but has remained good friends with her ex-hubby ever since. She has now spoken out about the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star's behavior at the 94th Academy Awards, telling the Daily Mail that she hopes "people allow him to be human." 

"I really hope for that because I stand in support of him, we are on good terms," she said. "You cannot heal without forgiveness."

Her encouraging words come shortly after Will Smith released an apology video, entitled, "It's been a minute...", on Youtube. 

In the nearly-six-minute long clip, the 53-year-old emotionally answered questions from fans on the incident and said he is "deeply remorseful" for what will likely go down as one of the most controversial Oscars moments ever. He apologized to both Chris Rock and Chris Rock's mother, before admitting he has spent the past three months "replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment." He also said sorry to his wife, Jada, and their two children, Jaden and Willow, as well as the other nominees and winners of the night. 

Both the audience and viewers watching at home were stunned to see Will Smith ascend the stage of the iconic awards show and slap host Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia. Will Smith tearfully apologized in his Oscars acceptance speech for Best Actor later that night, before being banned from the Hollywood event for 10 years. 

Sheree, who shares a 29-year-old son named Trey with Will, was also keen to remind the public of her ex-husband's good qualities. 

"He's been in the business since 16 with Fresh Prince Of Bel Air," she said. "He gives so generously, he puts love into everything he does, he's so gracious so kind, he has heart connection to his fans. He has given us years of laughter."