Actor Kevin Hart has come in support of Will Smith, who courted controversy after he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony.

In an interview, Kevin had said that Will deserves a chance for redemption and should not be judged for the slap. When Hart was asked if he would chose between rapper Ice cube or Will Smith, the former replied, "I'm going to say Will Smith and here's why: Will Smith is not only a legend, he's not only a GOAT."

He added, "Will Smith is the reason why the idea of African Americans (being) attached to global IP is normal. Studios took the gamble on more leads of colour because of the work that Will Smith and Denzel Washington were on in the beginning."

Referring to the Oscar slap, Hart also said that people tend to make mistakes but should also be allowed to recover from it, while mentioning that Will and Chris should sort out the issues between then in private. "And that this is no longer the world's problem. It's Will and Chris' problem, and let them deal with that. The world should step out of it," he added.