Will Smith savagely mocks bald man in clip unearthed after Oscars slap scandal

Will Smith has been heavily criticised for mocking a bald man in an unearthed clip after he smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars.

The actor was at the centre of one of the ceremony’s biggest controversies after he leapt onto the stage during the live broadcast on Sunday, and assaulted comedian Chris after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett’s shaved head.

The Matrix actress suffers from alopecia, and could be seen rolling her eyes after Chris made the gag.

However, Will came to his wife’s defence and confronted the funnyman, before slapping him across the face, leaving the star-studded audience in shock.

Will was in his early 20s when he appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show (Paramount)

He since apologised for assaulting Chris on stage, issuing a grovelling statement in which he expressed regret over his violent behaviour.

Now, he’s been subjected to further criticism, as an old clip of him mocking a bald man has resurfaced.

The video sees Will, who is in his early 20s, being interviewed on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1991, as he draws groans from the audience as he begins to make fun of his fellow guest, bass player John B. Williams.

John B. Williams laughed off the bald gags made by Will (Paramount)

“Like, he has a rule, the bass player? He's got a rule: He's gotta wax his head every day. That's a rule,” Will quipped.

Realising his gag fell flat, he said: “Ah these are jokes, come on!”

As the clip went viral on Twitter, one disgruntled fan wrote: “Why can he comment about someone’s appearance claiming it’s a joke, yet when it comes to him & his family they’re off limits.”

Will hit the headlines after smacking Chris Rock during the Oscars (AFP via Getty Images)

“Yep... the internet remembers,” another added, while one tweeted: “Lest we forget the time Will Smith joked about a man and said 'it's a joke, come on' sounds like his past came back to haunt him.”

John B. Williams has since spoken about the unearthed footage, and explained he did not suffer from alopecia, as he defended Will’s angry outburst.

He said he was defending wife Jada after the comedian made a joke about her shaved head (Getty Images)

“I like Chris Rock. When Chris first made the comment, Will was laughing. It wasn't until it became obvious Jada didn't think it was funny that Will went to her defense. Love makes you do all kinds of things,” he told Rolling Stone.

“That's his wife, who he loves. He just reacted from outrage. I have sometimes reacted from outrage.”