Will Smith has issued an apology to Chris Rock after slapping him at Sunday’s Academy Awards, describing his behaviour as “unacceptable and inexcusable”.
The King Richard star made headlines on Sunday night (27th March) when he smacked Chris Rock during the live broadcast after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s recent hair loss, which is caused by alopecia.
In an Instagram post, Smith – who went on to win his first Oscar in the Best Actor category for his performance in King Richard – apologised to Rock, the Academy, the Williams Family and “everyone watching around the world”.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” the statement read.
“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.”
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He apologised to Rock, saying that he was “out of line” and “wrong” before adding: “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.”
After apologising to the show’s producers, the attendees, the Williams Family and those that worked on King Richard, Smith ended his statement by saying that he “deeply regretted” his behaviour which “stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us”.
“I am a work in progress,” he added.
While this is the first time Smith has publicly spoken about the incident since the Oscars took place on Sunday, he did reference the moment during his acceptance speech for Best Actor just 20 minutes after the slap occurred.
During the speech, he apologised to the Academy before adding that “love will make you do crazy things” and that he hoped the Academy would invite him back.
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