Will Smith has released a video on social media where he has apologised to Chris Rock after slapping the comedian at the Oscars earlier this year. In the five-minute long video posted to his 64M followers on Instagram, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor spoke directly to the camera as he answered a series of questions he'd received on social media about the incident on March 27.
The shocking moment saw the 53-year-old Hollywood star storm on stage and slap Chris Rock, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. Answering a question as to why he did not apologise to Chris moments later during his acceptance speech for best actor for his role in King Richard, he said: “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.
"I have reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk and when he is he will reach out. So I will say to you Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk.”
In the video, Smith also apologised to Chris' mother and his family: “But this is probably irreparable. I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment.
“And I’m not going to try and unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle feelings of disrespect or insults.”
Will Smith said Jada had "nothing to do with it", adding: "I made a choice on my own, from my own experience and my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry babe, and I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”
He added how he was “deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself" before concluding the video by saying: "If you hang on, I promise we will be able to be friends again.”
The actor was banned from all Academy events or programmes for 10 years following his behaviour at the 94th Academy Awards. Two days on from the incident, he issued a public apology to Rock and the Oscars production team, saying he reacted “emotionally” to the joke and that “violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive”.
