Will Smith Has Message for Chris Rock and His Family About Oscars Slap

Will Smith is speaking out about the infamous Oscar slap. The world will never forget that Smith slapped fellow comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after Rock made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock has rarely spoken about the incident since, but recently said that he doesn’t think too much of it. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” the SNL alum said recently per Us Weekly. “Yeah, that s— hurt, motherf—er. But I shook that s— off and went to work the next day…I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.” Smith later resigned from the Academy and cannot attend the ceremony for 10 years.

In a public apology to Rock, the Oscar winner said: “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. 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.” Pinkett Smith addressed it on a June 1 episode of her Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk, saying, “About Oscar night: My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile,” she said at the time. “With the state of the world today, we need ’em both, and we all actually need one another more than ever,” the actress continued. “Until then, Will and I are continuing to do what we have done for the last 28 years — and that’s [to] keep figuring out this thing called life together.”

Smith is talking about it in a new Instagram video. “I was fogged out. It’s all fuzzy. I 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. So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” he said. “My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk. I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. … I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt tin that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’s family. Specifically, Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable.”