Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock in New Statement About 'Unacceptable and Inexcusable' Oscars Slap
Will Smith issued a formal apology to Chris Rock after slapping the comedian during Sunday night's 94th Academy Awards. Smith struck Rock after Rock joked about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. In his apology, Smith called violence "poisonous and destructive," and called his behavior "unacceptable and inexcusable."
"Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally," Smith wrote before apologizing directly to Rock. After he received his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard, Smith apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but did not mention Rock.
"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris," Smith wrote. "I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world," Smith wrote. "I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress."
During the last hour of the Oscars, Rock joked about Pinkett Smith looking like she could star in G.I. Jane 2, referencing the actress' shaved head. Pinkett Smith has struggled with alopecia, an autoimmune condition that leads to hair loss. Smith ran onstage and struck Rock. After he got back to his seat, Smith twice demanded Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your f—ing mouth!" Rock called it the "greatest night in television history" before he presented the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. During the next commercial break, Tyler Perry and Denzel Washington were seen calming Smith down.
Smith never left the Dolby Theatre before the ceremony ended. He later accepted the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard and gave a lengthy speech in which he did apologize to the Academy but tried to justify his actions. "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees," Smith said. "This is a beautiful moment, and I'm not crying for winning an award. It's not about winning an award for me, it's about being able to shine a lot on all the people... and the entire cast and crew of King Richard and Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams! But, love will make you do crazy things."
Meanwhile, the Academy has called a Board of Governors meeting for Wednesday, reports The Hollywood Reporter. On Monday, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson had an emergency phone call with members about the incident. Afterward, the Academy released a new statement. "The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night's show," the new statement reads. "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law." Rock has not commented, but the LAPD confirmed he has chosen not to press charges on Smith.