Will Smith Just Released An Apology Video For Chris Rock Oscars Slap: ‘I’m Here Whenever You’re Ready To Talk’

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.”