Highlights:
- At the 95th Academy Awards, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.
- He did this in response to the comedian’s joke about his wife.
- Earlier in his speech, Will Smith apologised to the Academy.
Will Smith apologised for slapping presenter Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith during his Oscar speech yesterday. Will, however, did not apologise to Chris. Last night, he did so in an Instagram post in which he named Chris Rock and apologised. He also apologised to the Academy – which is reportedly considering taking action against him. Will Smith won Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams, father of tennis players Venus and Serena in “King Richard family”.
“King Richard” wrote on Instagram, “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,” he wrote, adding, “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. 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.”
Chris Rock made a GI Jane joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which infuriated Will Smith. Jada made her alopecia battle public a few years ago.
In his post, the 53-year-old actor apologised once more to the Academy, as well as to everyone else: “I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
Will Smith signed off his statement by calling himself a “work in progress.” Will Smith’s complete statement may be seen here:
Will Smith returned to his seat after slapping Chris Rock and said, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth!” Later, upon accepting the Best Actor award, Will Smith said tearfully, “I want to apologise to the academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees… Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.” During the previous commercial break, he also disclosed what fellow Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington told to him: “Thank you Denzel, who spoke to me a few minutes ago… he said, ‘at your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.'”
Will Smith said about the Academy and the Oscars, “I hope they invite me back.” Following the incident, the Academy issued a brief statement stating it doesn’t “condones violence in any form.” It is also said that Academy is reportedly meeting to decide what, if any, action to take. Meanwhile, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, Chris Rock has declined to file a police report.
Will Smith is a Hollywood A-lister who has starred in blockbusters such as Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness, the Men in Black trilogy, and the Bad Boys movies, to mention a few. He’s also the star of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, a popular television show.
