Vivica A. Fox revealed where she stands with her former co-stars Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband Will after speaking out about the couple following the controversial Chris Rock slap. The Independence Day star, 58, admitted that she doesn’t have a beef with either of the Smiths during an interview on Watch What Happens Live on Wednesday, July 19.
Actress @MsVivicaFox says she doesn't have any beef with Jada Pinkett Smith. #WWHL pic.twitter.com/oVAyakLaJk
— Watch What Happens Live! (@BravoWWHL) July 20, 2023
Andy Cohen shared a fan’s question for Vivica about where she stands with Will, 54, and Jada, 51, over a year after the slap. She admitted that she has no qualms with anyone in the family. “Can I say there’s no beef?” she asked. “I just said, due to the situation that happened, just take accountability, so that everyone can then move forward. I love Jada. I love Will. I love their whole family. I don’t have beef with them.”
Vivica starred alongside both Will and Jada in Independence Day and Set It Off, respectively. Given their long history together, Andy followed up with the actress and asked if she knew if any member of the Smith family had a beef with her, but Vivica responded, “Not that I know of.”
Vivica’s “beef” with the Smiths came after Jada had referenced the slap on her Red Table Talk show in June 2022. “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile. The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever,” she said, while briefly addressing the situation.
Shortly after Jada’s comments, Vivica spoke about the response when she was guest hosting The Wendy Williams Show. “I just wish that we could have had a little bit more accountability and for it to not seem so self-righteous on Jada’s part,” she said, mentioning that Will was “defending her honor” when he slapped Chris. The actress also revealed that she felt like Will slapping Chris changed the tone of the evening. “This night was a night of African American and diversity for brown and Black people that now will forever be scarred,” she said.
Despite the previous comments, Vivica did say she believed Will “absolutely” deserved a second chance in an exclusive interview with HollywoodLife in August 2022. “He’s Will Smith. Don’t y’all ever forget that. This man has grossed billions of dollars. He made a mistake. He deserves a second chance and I will be there to support him,” she said.