Will Smith tearfully explains why he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars

While a guest on an episode of 'The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,' Will Smith described the Oscars as a 'horrific night.'

In his first late-night talk show appearance since “the slap heard around the world,” Will Smith addressed his assault against comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in March.

While a guest on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Smith, 54, described the Oscars as a “horrific night.”

“There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it,” Smith said in the emotional interview. (NOTE: The broadcasting network — Comedy Central — has not made the video interview available to Canadian audiences.)

During the Oscars ceremony in March, Rock, 57, made a G.I. Jane joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from the skin condition alopecia, which causes hair loss. Smith walked onto the stage from his front-row seat and took a swing at Rock with an open palm, generating a loud smack. Smith returned to his seat and shouted for Rock to “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–-ing mouth!”

That same night, Smith went on to win the best actor award for his role in King Richard. 

Smith later apologized for slapping Rock. He was banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years.

On The Daily Show, Smith said he was “going through something that night.” The actor did not specify what this was but clarified that it did not justify his actions.

“I guess what I would say is that you just never know what somebody’s going through,” he said.