Will Smith gives emotional apology to Chris Rock over Oscar’s slap in tell-all video
Will Smith has shared a video to apologise to Chris Rock after the Fresh Prince actor slapped the comedian on stage at the Oscar Awards ceremony earlier this year
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Will Smith issues apology to Chris Rock
Will Smith has released a video to apologise to Chris Rock after he slapped the comedian at the Oscars earlier this year.
Fresh Prince actor Will shared the video on his YouTube page to explain and apologise to Chris, their families and Will’s fans.
Will, 53, began the video with a message on screen which read: “It’s been a minute… Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work…
“You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”
He then sat down and opened up about his controversial actions and explained why he didn’t say sorry to Chris, 57, during his acceptance speech immediately after the event.
Actor Will slapped the Madagascar star after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, comparing her to GI Jane.
As he repeated a question asking why he didn’t apologise to Chris at the prestigious awards ceremony, Will said: “I was fogged out by that point.
Will Smith has released a tell all video apologising to Chris Rock and everyone who was affected by his actions
Image:
( YouTube)
“It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out.”
Addressing the comedian directly, Will looked at the camera and said: “So I will say to you, Chris; I apologise to you, my behaviour was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Smith also apologised to Rock’s mother and father and explained he “wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment”.
Chris Rock was violently slapped by Will Smith during the 2022 Oscars ceremony
Image:
( AFP via Getty Images)
He said: “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment.
“And I’m not going to try and unpack all of that right now but I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle feelings of disrespect or insults.”
Will went on to credit Chris’ younger brother Tony Rock, who the I Am Legend star said was “my man”.
Will opened the video with a message where he had explained he had been doing ‘a lot of thinking and personal work’
However, he shared doubts they would be able to mend their friendship and said it was “irreparable”.
Will then revealed his wife Jada Pinkett Smith did not tell him to do anything after fans noticed she rolled her eyes at Chris’ joke, which sparked Will to slap the comedian.
The actor explained: “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.”
He then apologised to his wife, adding: “I’m sorry babe, I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat I brought on all of us.”
Will apologised to Chris’ family, including his brother Tony Rock who he was pals with before the incident
The actor then went on to apologise to his fellow Oscar nominees as he went on: “It’s really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes – it happened on Questlove’s award – and, you know, it’s like ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”
Will then went on to admit that “disappointing people is my central trauma” as he addressed all his fans who looked up to him before the incident.
Will apologised to his wife Jada and insisted she did not influence his actions
Image:
( Getty Images)
He went on: “I hate when I let people down. So, it hurts. It hurts my psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me.
“The work I’m trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”
“I’m human,” Will said. “I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t so I would say to those people; I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world.”
Will ended the emotional video by saying: “If you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
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