It has been four months since Will Smith delivered the slap heard around the world to Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars after a joke aimed at Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. The actor did apologize at the time, but now he has released a five-plus-minute video in which he addresses the entire incident and expresses extreme remorse over what happened while answering a series of questions.
After some written words on the screen, Smith begins the video explaining why he didn't immediately apologize to Rock during his Best Actor speech that night, saying he was âfogged outâ and it's âall fuzzy.â He then goes on to say he has reached out to Rock but hasn't heard back yet before officially launching into his full apology, calling his behavior âunacceptable.â During the lengthy speech, Smith apologizes to Rock, Rock's mother, Rock's brother and others.
âThat was one of the things about that moment. I just didnât realize,â Smith says. âI wasnât thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologize to Chrisâ mother. I want to apologize to Chrisâ family. Specifically, Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. You know, Tony Rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.â
Here's the full video:
Article Continues BelowWill Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars took the entertainment industry by storm, sparking backlash and debate all over the place. Some found it appalling, while others didn't think it was that big a deal given it was only a slap and a somewhat understandable reaction to the insensitive joke about Pinkett-Smith's hair.
The Best Actor winner was ultimately punished for his actions after being allowed to stay at the Oscars to give his speech after winning the award for King Richard. The Academy handed out a 10-year ban to the actor.
It's clear that after a lot of reflection, Will Smith regrets what he did that night and is doing all he can to remedy the situation. Good on him for addressing this head on.