"A mistake cannot define who you are because if it's like that, we all are bad" J Balvin has revealed that he felt a connection with Will Smith after the actor’s infamous slapping incident at the 2022 Oscars – see what the Colombian pop star had to say below. In a new chat with Rolling Stone , Balvin revealed that 2022 was a tough year for both Smith and himself – he had heavily been scrutinised for the controversial late 2021 ‘Perra’ video, which was considered racist and misogynistic . Will Smith’s slap on Chris Rock for making a distasteful joke about his estranged wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith at the 2022 Oscars – where he won Best Actor – resulted in a 10-year ban from the Academy and heavy judgement from the public.
J Balvin said to Rolling Stone about their similar situations, and his decision to bring Smith onstage at Coachella earlier this year : “Will Smith has always been one of my biggest idols. Period. I feel really connected with him.
You cannot judge a person for some mistakes. A mistake cannot define who you are because if it’s like that, we all are bad.” J Balvin and Will Smith perform at the Coachella Stage during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 14, 2024 in Indio, California.
(Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Coachella) He continued: “[With] what happened with Will Smith, I felt his pain because I was going through a similar situation when I felt that some part of the world was against .