Will Smith Breaks Silence Over Oscars Slap in New Video

Will Smith is finally speaking out about his infamous Oscars slap. On Friday, the 53-year-old Academy Award winner posted a video on his social media channels answering questions about slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year. Smith struck Rock onstage after he made fun of his wife, Jada Pinket Smith.

The first question posed to Smith in the video was why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech. “I was fogged out by that point,” Smith said. “It’s all fuzzy. 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.” 

Smith went on to send a message to Rock. “I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” he continued. “My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.” At the beginning of the video, Smith gives an update on what he’s been doing since the incident. 

“It’s been a minute… Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work,” Smith wrote. “You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.” Another question that was asked of him was, “After Jada rolled her eyes [at Rock’s joke], did she tell you to do something?”

“No,” Smith replied. “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.” Smith went on to say, “I’m sorry, babe. I wanna say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”

Smith’s video comes shortly after Rock addressed the slap during his show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel New Jersey. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock, 57, said during his set, per Yahoo. Rock reportedly referred to Smith as “Suge Smith,” which is a reference to the former Death Row Record CEO Marion “Suge” Knight who is currently in prison. Following the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and he was banned from attending all Academy functions for 10 years.