Will Smith is finally ready to talk about his infamous ‘slap heard around the world’.
The actor took to Instagram on Friday, posting a lengthy video dedicated to the night he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Four months after Smith took the stage at the Academy Awards and blasted Rock for making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, the actor took time to answer questions about the controversy.
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The clip, titled “Thank You Everyone,” opens with a text overlay that reads: “It’s been a minute… I’ve been very busy thinking and doing personal work these past few months… You’ve asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take a moment to answer .
Smith can be heard taking a deep breath as he dives into the Q and A, reading questions from an off-screen teleprompter before answering.
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The first question asks why Smith, 57, didn’t apologize to Rock tonight during his best actor acceptance speech moments after the slap.
“I was in a daze from that moment,” he explained. “It’s all a blur.”
0:31 Moment: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock onstage after Oscars joke about wife’s hairdo Moment: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock onstage after Oscars joke about wife’s hairdo – March 28, 2022
Smith explains that he reached out to Rock “and the message that came back was that he wasn’t ready to talk.”
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“When he is, he will reach out. I’ll say, “Chris, I’m sorry.” My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here when you’re ready to talk.
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Smith added that he wanted to apologize to Rock’s mother and younger brother Tony.
“I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened at that moment. I’m not going to try to unpack all of this right now, but I can tell you all that there is no part of me that thinks this is the right way to behave at this point. No part of me thinks this is the optimal way to deal with feeling disrespected or offended.
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When asked if Jada prompted his decision to slap Rock, Smith said “No. I made the choice myself, from my own experience and my history with Chris. Jada has nothing to do with it.
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He went on to apologize to his wife, children and Oscar nominees whose achievements were marred by the slap.
“For all my fellow nominees, this is a community. I won because you voted for me and it really breaks my heart that I stole and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes – it happened at Questlove’s award – and I’m sorry it’s not enough.”
Will Smith slaps Chris Rock on stage during the 94th Academy Awards show at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Getty Images
Finally, Smith concluded with this:
“Two things. First, disappointing people is my main trauma. I hate it when I disappoint people, so it hurts me psychologically and emotionally that I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. The thing I’m trying to do is that i feel deep remorse and i try to repent without being ashamed of myself i am human and i made a mistake and i try not to think of myself as trash so i would say to these people i know it was confusing , I know it was shocking, but I promise you that I am deeply committed and committed to putting light, love and joy into the world. If you stick it out, I promise we can be friends again.
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The March 27 act of violence earned Smith a 10-year ban from the Academy, but the real fallout came in the form of public condemnation.
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Smith said he slapped Rock after the comedian joked about his wife’s hair loss – something she can’t control due to alopecia.
After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and yelled, “Keep my wife’s name out of your goddamn mouth.”
Days later, Smith publicly apologized on Instagram, explaining that the accent was “too much for me to handle” and he was “reacting emotionally.”
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Although Rock is clearly not ready to address the issue with Smith, he recently joked about it during a stand-up comedy set earlier this month.
“I’m not a victim, motherfucker,” he said during a show at the PNC Bank Center for the Arts in Holmdel, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 24, US Weekly reports.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said.
“Yeah, that doesn’t hurt, dammit. But I shook off that shit and went to work the next day,” he continued. “I’m not going to the hospital for a trim.”
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