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'Fresh Prince' actress Tatyana Ali speaks out about Will Smith Oscars slap: 'Right is right, wrong is wrong and love is love'

Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's Tatyana Ali is weighing in on Will Smith's Oscars slap.

The actress, who played Will's younger cousin Ashley Banks, shared her thoughts about his outburst after taking a week to digest the shocking moment. She said what he did was wrong, but she still believes in him.

WESTWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 16: Actors Will Smith and Tatyana Ali arrive at the premiere of Columbia Pictures'
Fresh Prince actress Tatyana Ali, with Will Smith at the 2008 premiere of his film Seven Pounds, has weighed in on his Oscars slap. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

"I love #WillSmith very much," Ali tweeted on Sunday — one week after Smith slapped and cursed out stunned Oscars presenter Chris Rock for a G.I. Jane joke. "@chrisrock didn’t deserve to be hit. Period."

Ali said her "heart aches for what has happened. I don’t know what caused that chaos & confusion, but I do know that Will has a big heart. I’ve seen him many times try his best to do what is right. I believe in him."

She also shared the tweet on Instagram with the caption: "Took me a while to get my thoughts together. Right is right, wrong is wrong, and love is love."

THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR -- Season 5 -- Pictured: (l-r) Will Smith as William 'Will' Smith, Tatyana Ali as Ashley Banks -- Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank
Fresh Prince co-stars Will Smith, who played Will, and Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley, in character in 1994. (Photo: NBCU Photo Bank)

Ali has called being on Fresh Prince in the '90s as a tween and teen "a gift of a lifetime." She participated in the HBO Max reunion in 2020, which she said renewed the bond of the former co-stars.

"After the reunion, we're all on a group text, so that's really fun," she told Allure last year. She said they had "so much fun at the reunion. They just filmed us talking for two days straight."

Ali's remained close to Smith anyway. In February, she was at the premiere of spinoff prequel Bel-Air, posing for photos with the Best Actor winner, who produces the show, as well as former co-stars Joseph Marcell, who played Geoffrey, and Vernee Watson-Johnson, who was Will's mom Vy.

SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: (L-R) Joseph Marcell, Vernee Christell Watson-Johnson, Will Smith, and Tatyana Ali attend Peacock's new series
Joseph Marcell, Vernee Watson-Johnson, Will Smith and Tatyana Ali attend Peacock's new series Bel-Air premiere party and drive-thru screening experience at Barker Hangar on Feb. 9, 2022 in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo: Amy Sussman/WireImage)

She's also attended many of Smith's premieres, including Hancock and Seven Pounds. And there have been many unofficial cast reunions through the years.

Last week, the Academy launched an investigation into Smith's slap, which he said was sparked by Rock making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she has been suffering from hair loss.

Smith apologized after the awards show to Rock, who hasn't responded publicly. On Friday, Smith resigned as an Academy member, calling his actions "painful and inexcusable" in another apology.