Will Smith responded to inquiries about slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards ceremony in a video that was posted on Friday morning. The episode damaged Smith’s reputation as a Hollywood Golden Boy (perhaps permanently), resulted in his ten-year exclusion from the Academy and spurred a major discussion about the place of violence—if any—in public outbursts of rage.
Standing in front of the camera, Smith remarked, “Deceiving people is my fundamental trauma. “I detest disappointing people. It aches.
Smith answered common queries he had following the incident in the almost six-minute YouTube video. Was he directed to do it by his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith? No. Why, just seconds later, during his winning speech, did he not express regret to Rock? This was “a blur.”
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Rock entered the stage at the Oscars to announce the winner of the documentary feature category, but he first cracked a joke. He addressed Jada Pinkett Smith, who may have struggled with alopecia given her closely cropped head, and he added, “Jada, I love you.
I’m eager to see G.I. Jane 2! After slapping Rock in the face, Smith marched up to the stage and yelled at him again from his seat, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—-ing lips!”
Rock has largely remained silent about the incident, despite briefly mentioning it during a stand-up performance in March. According to a Washington Post reporter in the audience, Rock said, “I had like a whole show I wrote before the weekend.”
Smith issued an apology on social media shortly after the incident. “And I’m still processing what occurred a little bit. I’ll discuss more that later. Rock’s agent could not be reached for comment right away.
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In the video, Smith apologized to Rock, Pinkett Smith, his family, the Academy, Questlove, his fans, and even Rock’s mother, who claimed that when Smith “slapped Chris, he slapped all of us,” in an interview with an NBC station. He struck me hard.
There were several times when Smith seemed to be fighting back tears, like when he remembered the expression in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s eyes after the incident. Thompson had just won the best documentary award for “Summer of Soul (… Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” at the time.
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It was Thompson’s first time winning an Oscar. Smith took a brief moment to reflect before saying, “I’m sorry isn’t really sufficient.”
On March 27, during the Oscars, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock when the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife’s hair. Best actor went to Smith for “King Richard.” (Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters/The Washington Post; video: Allie Caren/The Washington Post)
He apologized to his supporters who were disappointed by his conduct and stated, “I know it was unclear. I am aware of the shock. But I can assure you that I am utterly committed to bringing happiness, love, and light into the world. And, you know, I swear we’ll be able to be friends again if you hold on.
Additionally, Smith stated that he is dedicated to working on himself and that he is attempting to be “remorseful without being ashamed.” Right? I am a human. I erred, and I’m making an effort not to think of myself as a piece of s—-.
But according to Smith, Rock is still not prepared to make an apology in person. Smith stated, “I went out to Chris, and the response I got was that he’s not ready to discuss, and when he is he will call out. I shall thus apologize to you, Chris. I’m available to speak with you anytime you’re ready, and my behavior was inappropriate.