Chris Rock and Will Smith Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock; Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
Still recovering. Will SmithHe is being open about where he stands Chris RockAfter his now-famous 2022 Oscars slap.
The Bel-Air: The Fresh Prince alum, 53, uploaded an emotional Instagram video on Friday, July 29, captioned “Thanx y’all.” At the beginning of the clip, text appears on screen reading, “It’s been a minute … Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work … You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”
Smith is shown taking deep breaths as he tries to get answers from the camera about what happened at the Academy Awards earlier this month. When asked why he didn’t apologize to Rock, 57, in his best actor acceptance speech moments after the slap, the Will author said the night was a blur. “I was fogged out by that point,” he explained. “It’s all fuzzy.”
The I Am Legend actor went on to reveal that he’s spoken to the comedian in the wake of their spat. “The message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk,” Smith claimed. “And when he is, he will reach out. Chris, I am sorry for my behavior. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Smith then issued a direct apology to Rock’s mother. “I saw an interview that Chris’ mother did and, you know, that was just one of the things about that moment, I just didn’t realize and, you know, I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment,” the Philadelphia native continued. “So I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, I want to apologize to Chris’ family.”
The King RichardActor made headlines at the 2022 Oscars when, in a rush to get on the stage, he slapped Rock across his face. After the Madagascar star made a joke about Jada pinkett Smith‘s hair loss, which she experiences due to alopecia, Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth.”
Days after the ceremony, Smith publicly apologized for his “inexcusable” behavior in a lengthy Instagram message. Smith was then banned from Academy Awards events for the next ten years and resigned as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Rock, for his parts, addressed the situation in stand-up comedy shows. “I’m not a victim, motherf–ker,” he said during a show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, on Sunday, July 24, according to an eyewitness. “Yeah, that sh-t hurt, motherf–ker. But I shook that sh-t off and went to work the next day … I don’t go to the hospital for a papercut.”
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