'Most beautiful thing': Comedian Tiffany Haddish backs Will Smith following Chris Rock assault

Comedian Tiffany Haddish has shown support for Will Smith after his violent assault against Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this week.

The star told People that seeing "a black man stand up for his wife" meant so much to her.

"As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, 'Keep my wife's name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,' that's what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you.

"That meant the world to me," the star confessed.

Smith has received criticism for his attack, but Haddish acknowledged the world, "might not like how it went down." But for her, she shared it was a "beautiful thing".

"It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives," she stated.

Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars. Photo / AP

While Haddish is friends with both the Smiths and Chris Rock, she questioned the magazine on why Rock would choose a joke like that: "Why would you do that? He didn't even run the joke by her, but she was hurt, though.

"If she wouldn't have been hurt, [Will] probably wouldn't have said nothing. But you could see he was, clearly - and they exploited it. They exploited her, so 'I have to do something.' He protected his wife."

The comedian's comment on the situation comes after the Academy body said it "condemns" Smith's assault of Rock during the 94th Oscars ceremony.

The Academy also revealed it has launched a formal review of the incident and said it would "explore further action and consequences" in accordance with California law, and the body's standards of conduct.

The Academy does not condone violence of any form.

Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022

The Academy leadership strongly considered removing Smith from last night's broadcast following the incident, a source told CNN.

Smith sparked global headlines after storming the stage and slapping comedian Rock in the face during a live broadcast seen by tens of millions of viewers.

The actor has since apologised for his actions with a post on Instagram where he admits he was "wrong" and out of line" continuing on to claim, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive."