Will Smith Apologizes To Chris Rock For Slapping Him At Oscars: I’m Here Whenever You’re Ready To Talk

Will Smith is finally breaking his silence after he slapped and yelled at Chris Rock during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony.

In a video posted on his social media pages on Friday, the actor answered many questions and addressed if he’s apologized to Rock following the Academy Awards.

“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy, I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” Will began. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

He continued his video by taking the time to apologize to the comedian’s family, “I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview that Chris’s mother did and, you, that was one of the things about the moment, I just didn’t realize, and, you know, I wasn’t thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment.”

Adding, “So I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I want to apologize to Chris’s family. Specifically, Tony Rock, you know, we had a great relationship. You know, Tony Rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.”

The superstar walked onstage and smacked Rock across the face during the live Oscars telecast following a joke about the hairstyle of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. Smith then returned to his seat and shouted “keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth” twice to a visibly stunned Rock, who proceeded to present the Best Documentary Feature award.

The 53-year-old actor acknowledged that he’s been spending time reflecting on the incident, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and, the complexities of what happened in that moment, And I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now.”

Will said, “But I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect of insults.”

He also addressed if Jada asked him to do something and he quickly said, “No” and explained, “It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe.”

He continued, “I wanna say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brough on all of us. To all my fellow nominees, you know, this is a community, it’s like I won because you voted for me and it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes, you know, it happened on Questlove’s awards. And, you know, it’s like, I’m sorry really isn’t sufficient.”

Will finished his video by reflecting on the moment, “Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down, so it, it hurts, it hurts me psychologically an emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. The work I’m trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful, and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. Right? I’m human and I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of sh*t. So I would say to those people, I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking. But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world.

“If you hang on, I promised we’ll be able to be friends again,” Will said.