Will Smith posted an emotional video on his social channels in which he expressed his regret for the slap at the Oscars.
The 53-year-old actor sparked controversy at this year’s ceremony after slapping Chris Rock on stage after a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith and her looks. Smith released a statement on Instagram to apologize, but has since remained silent.
The nearly six-minute video, uploaded to his YouTube channel and Instagram page, shows Smith answering questions that have been circulating since then, starting with why he didn’t apologize to The Rock in his acceptance speech.
“It’s all a blur,” Smith said. “I contacted Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is he will be in touch so I’ll tell you Chris, I’m sorry. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here when you’re ready to talk.
He then takes the opportunity to apologize to Rock’s mother. “One of the things at that point, I just didn’t realize, I didn’t think about, but how many people were injured at that point,” he said. He then said the damage to his friendship with The Rock’s brother Tony was “probably irreparable”.
He goes on to say that he’s spent the last three months “replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened at that moment,” and while he says he won’t unpack it all now, he says there’s no part of him that believes that this is the “right way to behave”.
Smith also clarified whether Jada was involved in his proposal to do something. “It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own from my own experience, from my history with Chris,” he said. “Jada had nothing to do with it.”
He then apologized to both her and his family for the “heat” he caused them all.
“It really breaks my heart that I stole and tarnished your moment,” he told the other nominees and winners that night afterward. “Sorry, it’s really not enough.”
When asked what he would say to those who previously looked up to him but felt let down by his behavior, he said that “disappointing people” was his main trauma. “I hate it when I let people down,” he said. “So it hurts. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. The thing I’m trying to do is I’m deeply remorseful and I’m trying to repent without being ashamed of myself. I am a human. I made a mistake and I try not to think of myself as shit.”
The video arrives after Rock also addressed the incident at a live comedy event in New York last week. “Anyone who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face,” he said. Rock also emphasized that he’s “not a victim” and said he won’t be “going to a hospital for a paper cut.”
After the slap, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and received a 10-year ban for “unacceptable and harmful conduct.” Smith’s next film, the slavery thriller Emancipation, has reportedly received enthusiastic test screenings and is considered a potential Apple TV+ awards contender.
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