Will Smith says “there’s no part of me that thinks that’s the right way to act at this point” when explaining his decision to slap Chris Rock at the Oscars in March 2022 .
In a new Instagram video, the “King Richard” star answers a series of questions about that night, offering yet another apology to Rock while discussing the impact it’s had on Rock’s family; whether he matched his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s eye roll when she took the stage; the effects his actions had on the night’s other nominees and winners; and more.
“I was in a daze from that moment,” says Smith, explaining why it took so long to offer Rock an apology. “Everything is a blur. I contacted Chris and the message that came back is that he is not available to talk. And when it is, he will reach out.
Smith continues to address Rock directly, saying he’s “here when you’re ready to talk,” before offering an apology to Rock’s mother and Rock’s brother Tony Rock.
“It was one of the things at the time that I just didn’t realize,” Smith reflected. “I didn’t think how many people were injured at that point. So, I want to apologize to Chris’ mom. I want to apologize to Chris’ family – especially Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. You know, Tony Rock was my man, and that’s probably irreparable.
Smith also responded to a question about whether his reaction was in response to his wife’s eye-rolling following Rock’s joke about her baldness, which many noted could be a sensitive topic due to her alopecia.
“I made the choice myself, from my own experience, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do [with it]” Smith said, before acknowledging the “heat” his wife and children have endured.
Towards the end of the video, Smith acknowledges how his actions have affected his other nominees.
“It really breaks my heart that I stole and tarnished your moment,” Smith says, addressing Questlove, who took the Oscars stage immediately after the incident to accept the award for best documentary feature for his Summer of Soul project . “Sorry isn’t really enough.”
He ends the video with what he would say to people who were high on it before the Oscars incident. Smith calls disappointing people “my central trauma” and notes that he hates “when I disappoint people.”
“So it hurts. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I don’t live up to people’s image and impression of me,” he says, adding that he “feels deeply remorseful” but tries to be that way “without being ashamed” of himself. “I’m human and I’ve made a mistake and I try not to think of myself as shit.”
“I would say to those people: I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking. But I promise you that I am deeply committed and dedicated to bringing light and love and joy into the world,” Smith offers as a final note. “And if you persevere, I promise we can be friends again.”
It’s the third apology of some kind Smith has offered since the incident at the 2022 Oscars, in which the Best Actor winner took the stage at the Dolby Theater and slapped comedian Rock after he made an indecipherable joke about G.I. Jane about Pinkett Smith’s baldness while presenting an award for best documentary.
Smith gave a tearful statement last night while accepting his best actor award for his role as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard, although he did not mention Rock. He then released a statement on his social media specifically apologizing to The Rock, while acknowledging how the joke triggered his behavior.
“Jokes about me are part of the job, but the joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me and I reacted emotionally,” he wrote in the post. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of bounds and 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.”
Smith has since announced his retirement from the Academy and has been banned from appearing at Academy events for 10 years. However, he is still eligible for future Oscar nominations and wins, and will retain the Oscar he won at the 2022 ceremony.
Several of Smith’s upcoming projects appear to be in limbo. Fast and Loose, which centers on a crime boss who loses his memory, had previously lost its director before the Oscars incident, but has been quietly shelved by Netflix, according to sources. Sony’s Bad Boys 4, also in active development during Oscar season, has also been shelved, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.
Smith is also slated to star in the Antoine Fuqua-directed action thriller Emancipation. Based on a true story, the film follows an enslaved man who escapes from a Louisiana plantation before heading north to join the Union Army. It’s in post-production at Apple, but doesn’t currently have a release date, although it was previously tentatively slated for later this year.
Sources at the time described Smith’s performance as another award-worthy performance, but the Oscar incident was thought to have scuppered those release plans, leaving it unclear whether Smith would be welcomed back. Last week, however, online reports suggested that Apple could indeed release the film at some point in 2022.
Boris Kitt contributed to this story.
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