Will Smith’s Mom SURPRISED AF By Chris Rock Slap: 'First Time I’ve Ever Seen Him Go Off'

Will Smith’s family was just as stunned by the actor’s meltdown at the Oscars as the rest of us!

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum’s mother Carolyn Smith sat down for an interview with 6ABC at her Philadelphia home on Monday to discuss Sunday night’s shocking slap seen around the world — and it sounds like she never saw that violent outburst coming!

After Chris Rock hurled an insensitive joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which is due to hair loss caused by alopecia, Will notably stormed the stage and slapped him across the face. Back at his seat, he shouted a warning full of expletives, urging Chris not to speak about his wife. The stunning incident (for which The Academy has launched a formal investigation ahead of Will’s apology) is all anyone has been able to talk about since — so how does the Smith family feel?

According to the 85-year-old, this is the very first time the performer has ever had an outburst, she expressed:

“He is a very even, people person. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen him go off. First time in his lifetime… I’ve never seen him do that.”

The first time?!

It seems hard to believe that Will’s never gotten this upset before. Unlike most everyone watching, Carolyn didn’t let the unexpected attack ruin the momentous occasion. The proud momma woke up early Sunday morning to be the first to wish her son good luck on his big day, she recalled:

“I started out saying, ‘Good morning, we’ve got to say good luck to Uncle Will.’”

After texting her well wishes in a family group chat, she waited all day — and through the madness of the slap — until it was time to see if the 53-year-old would be taking home an Oscar for Best Actor (for his role in King Richard). She shared:

“I know how he works, how hard he works… I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting. When I heard the name, I was just, ‘Yes!’”

Aw!

The dad of three’s younger sister Ellen Smith also had something to say about her brother’s viral fiasco. Keeping in tune with her momma, she didn’t have a bad word to say about the Aladdin star. Instead, she focused her attention on all the things that contributed to this ordeal, saying:

“I’ve had conversations with him, and it like really kind of broke my heart listening to the things he’s said he had to go through to get to where he is.”

Will made a reference to the “abuse” he’s had to suffer while being in the public eye while accepting his prestigious award, tearfully reflecting:

“I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you’ve got to be able to take abuse. You’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business, you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you’ve got to smile and you’ve got to pretend like that’s okay.”

Clearly, his family seems to think he just reached his breaking point. No matter how frustrating it must be to have your personal life used for punch lines, violence is never the answer. There were so many more appropriate ways Will could have put Chris in his place, yet he chose to get physically aggressive. Not cool. Just saying…

It doesn’t sound like he’ll be getting a talking to from his family, though. They are being just as supportive as ever, Carolyn insisted:

“I am proud of him being him.”

And her big advice after this chaos?? Rest up and go on vacation! LOLz! Check out the family’s full interview, including a look at all the Will memorabilia inside their home (below).