J Balvin felt ‘really connected’ to Will Smith after Oscars slap

The slap heard around the world is still ringing out.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, the “Prince of Reggaeton” J Balvin explained why he sought Will Smith out when putting together his recent alien-themed Coachella set. “Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period. I feel really connected with him,” he explained. Specifically, Balvin empathized with Smith after the infamous 2022 Oscars slap:

“You cannot judge a person for some mistakes,” he said.

A rep for Balvin did not immediately reply to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

When 2022 Oscars host Chris Rock made an on-stage joke at Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense, Smith shouted “keep my wife’s name out your f—ing mouth,” before taking to the stage and slapping Rock in the face.

The act sent shocks all through Hollywood and days after the ceremony, Smith resigned from the Academy after they hit him with a 10-year ban.

“A mistake cannot define who you are,” Balvin told Rolling Stone, “because if it’s like that, we all are bad.” Balvin told the outlet that, rather than judge Smith following the slap, “I felt his pain because I was going through a similar situation when I felt that some part of the world was against me for mistakes.”

Balvin may be referring to the controversy surrounding his 2021 video for his song “Perra,” which was condemned by some fans, industry peers, and by Colombian Vice President Marta Lucía Ramírez as racist and misogynistic.

Balvin reflected that, “I think if there’s someone that has been through darkness and light publicly at this moment, it’s Will Smith.” He added, “My inner child was screaming to have him in my show because there was no one better than him.”

Smith has recently stepped back into the public spotlight in recent months, after a successful Bad Boys: Ride or Die press tour, he also performed a new song at the 2024 BET Awards and appeared on “Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration” in Tuscany alongside the Italian maestro.

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Balvin cheers Smith on as he steps into a new, more positive era, saying, “I’m happy right now for his new season, too […] As I’m having a new season, he’s having his new season, and I salute that.”

Smith has a number of new projects in the works through his company Westbrook, including I Am Legend 2 and a Netflix Nicky Barnes biopic titled The Council, as well as an upcoming album called Dance in Your Darkest Moments, his first new album in nearly 20 years. Balvin is celebrating the release of his sixth studio album Rayo, which is stuffed with features from artists like Bad Gyal and Carín León.