Will Smith Apologizes To Chris Rock Calls Oscars Slap Fuzzy Moment

Smith shared an Instagram video calling his actions “unacceptable” and apologizing once again. “Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work,” the “King Richard” star stated in onscreen text. Smith then repeats questions he has been asked, including why he did not apologize to Rock during his Oscars acceptance speech. “I was fogged out by that point,” Smith explained. “It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.” Smith shared a special message directed to Rock, saying, “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

He also apologized to Rock’s mother and younger brother Tony Rock, as well as to his fellow nominees: “It really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes, you know it happened on Questlove’s award. And you know…’I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.” Related ‘Living’: The Prime of Mr. Bill Nighy Netflix Sets Date for Live Chris Rock Special ‘Selective Outrage’ Related The Best Film Sound of 2022 Growing Number of Contenders Makes 2023 Best International Feature Race Less Predictable
Smith continued, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment. And I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.” He added, “I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s*it.” Smith clarified that wife Jada Pinkett Smith did not tell him to do anything after she rolled her eyes at Rock’s quip. “It’s like you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” Smith said. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry babe. I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.” He continued, “Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down. So, it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. And the work I’m trying to do is…I’m deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.” Smith ended the video with a promise to fans: “I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy in this world. And if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.” Rock recently addressed Smith’s attack, clarifying that he does not consider himself to be a “victim” but that he was “hurt” by Smith’s actions. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said onstage during his stand-up tour (via US Weekly). “I’m not a victim. Yeah, that shit hurt, motherfucker. But I shook that shit off and went to work the next day. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”

Smith assaulted Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards following Rock’s quip that Jada Pinkett Smith was ready for a role in “G.I. Jane 2” with her haircut. Pinkett Smith had been previously diagnosed with alopecia, a hair loss condition. Smith later apologized to both the Academy and presenter Rock in an Instagram statement and subsequently was banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade. Rock first spoke out about the experience during the first stop of his sold-out comedy tour, starting at the Wilbur in Boston just five days after the Academy Awards. “I don’t have a bunch of shit about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend, and I’m still kind of processing what happened,” Rock said at the time. “So at some point I’ll talk about that shit. And it’ll be serious, and it’ll be funny.” Rock later joked he “got smacked by the softest n—- that ever rapped,” referencing Smith. Pinkett Smith addressed the slap during the June 1 episode of web series “Red Table Talk.” “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out, and reconcile,” Pinkett Smith said of her husband and Rock. “The state of the world today, we need them both. And we all actually need one another more than ever. Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years, and that’s keep figuring out this thing called life together.”