Months after Chris Rock and Will Smith made headlines at the 94th Academy Awards for the slapgate, Will Smith apologized to the comedian in an extensive Instagram video. He revealed in the video that he tried reaching out to Chris Rock but the comedian is not ready to talk yet. He also apologized to Chris’ family.
About the incident
At this year’s Oscars, Chris Rock appeared on the stage to present an award, where he made a joke about Will Smith’s wife and actor Jada Pinkett Smith being in “G.I. Jane” because of her shaved head (she suffers from a condition called alopecia), which triggered The Pursuit Of Happyness actor, who slapped Chris Rock and returned to his seat and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth.”
The video begins with the following text flashing on the screen: “It’s been a minute… Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work. You asked a lot of fair questions and I wanted to take some time to answer.”
After the slapping incident, Will Smith exclusively apologized to the Academy and the nominees. A few days later, he also posted a public apology on Instagram. He addressed Chris Rock, the Williams family, and the Academy. Will Smith won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena.
My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk: Smith
In the video, Will answers the question, “Why didn’t you apologize to Chris in your acceptance speech?” To this, Will replied, “I was fogged out by that point. It was all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris. I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk.” Will Smith also apologized to Chris Rock’s mother and added that he did not realize how many people he “hurt at that moment.”
Reflecting on the last 3 months, Will Smith said, “This is probably irreplaceable. I spent the last 3 months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened at that moment and I will not unpack all that right now. I can say that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave at that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that that is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
His wife Jada Pinkett Smith never asked him to take the step that he did at the Oscars
He clarified, “It’s like, I made a choice on my own from my own experience, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with, sorry babe, sorry to my kids and family for the heat that I brought on all of us.” Apologizing to fellow nominees, he said, “To all my fellow nominees, This a community, I won because you voted for me. It breaks my heart to have stolen your moment. “I know sorry isn’t sufficient,” he added.”
To all the people that Will Smith let down, he said, “Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I did not live up to people’s image and impression of me. The work I am trying to do…I am deeply remorseful and I am trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I am human and I made a mistake and I am trying not to think of myself as a piece of s***. I would like to say to those people, I know it was confusing, shocking but I promise you that I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light, and love and joy in the world and you know, if you hang on, we’ll be able to be friends again.”