Piers Morgan says Will Smith’s defence of wife would’ve been ‘saluted’ in previous eras

Will Smith’s slapped Chris Rock on stage during Oscars ceremony sending Hollywood into frenzy however Piers Morgan is of the view that the King Richard star did right to defend his wife.

The Good Morning Britain alum wrote in The Sun, "If Rock DID know [about her condition] then it was a nasty, cruel quip that warranted a husband’s wrath.

"And whilst I don’t condone violence, Will Smith didn’t punch him. It was just a slap, that Rock shrugged off with good humour,” he added.

“He was standing up for his wife, the woman from whom he blew off the dust when she was going through a rough time, and said he was going to make shine, and created a safe space for her to get healthy and to grow and define herself,” Morgan continued.

"In previous eras, he’d have been saluted for defending his girl, not savaged by an overly sensitive snowflake society,” the 54-year-old TV presenter slammed the critics.

The 94th Academy Awards turned into a dramatic one when the comedian cracked a joke on Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.

The Pursuit of Happyness star took the joke upon himself and smacked Rock on the stage before returning to his seat. He kept saying, “Keep my wife's name out of your (expletive) mouth!"