Will Smith has kept somewhat of a low profile since slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on March 27th and resigning from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; but he has now addressed the infamous incident in an emotional video that he shared to his YouTube channel on Friday, July 29th. And not only did he talk about it on camera for the first time since it happened, but he also issued an apology to the Everybody Hates Chris star too! Wow!
If you’ll recall, the 53-year-old Oscar-winning actor approached the stage to slap the 57-year-old comedian as he was presenting the Oscar for ‘Best Documentary Feature’ after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith‘s buzzcut, which was likely due to her ongoing battle with alopecia. Although he did issue a written apology on social media the very next day, this is the very first time he can be seen and heard discussing the incident.
In a YouTube video titled “It’s been a minute…” the I Am Legend star, wearing a simple gray T-shirt and a white baseball cap, finally addressed some of the questions many people have asked since the incident happened, including why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role,’ which he received for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard.
“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said in the video, before going on to say that Rock isn’t actually “ready” to accept his apology just yet. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” he continued. “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.”
Smith then went on to apologize to Rock's mother, Rose, and brother, Tony, saying: "That was one of the things about that moment that I didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, to Chris’ family, especially his brother Tony Rock." "This is probably irreparable," he added.
"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," Smith continued in the five-minute-long video. "There's no part of me that thinks that's the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults."
He then cleared up another question that has been on fans' minds since the incident. Referencing whether wife Jada, 50, essentially encouraged him to take to the stage and slap the comedian, after she was caught on camera rolling her eyes when he compared her to Demi Moore's character in the 1997 film, G.I. Jane, Smith said: "It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. 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."
