Son of WRAL anchor saw Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock live at the Oscars
Everyone is talking about "The Slap" at Sunday's Academy Awards when Will Smith hit Chris Rock after the latter made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
On Monday, Will Smith issued a public apology for his actions.
A local man that WRAL anchor Gerald Owens knows very well had a front row seat.
Gerald Owens' son is a marketing professional by day and a seat filler one night a year on Oscar night.
Many people wondered if the smack they saw was staged. But Drew Owens, with the closest view of the aftermath, said it was a very real smack.
He said after seeing the smack, he saw Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington go to check on Will Smith.
It was a moment Drew said was tense, unscripted and still fresh in his head.
"I was at Bradley Cooper's table and I was looking out, next to his mom, and we were talking. We all looked at each other and were like 'Wait, was that real?'" said Drew Owens. "Then I realized it was once I got in the hallway and was watching videos on Twitter and stuff from different angles."
The film academy has since condemned Smith's slap and said it is exploring further consequences.
