Will Smith speaks out over Chris Rock Oscars slap for the first time
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Back in March, Will Smith caused *a lot* of controversy when he slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars ceremony. But while the actor has kept quiet about the incident since it happened, he's recently broken his silence in a YouTube video that lasts almost six minutes. Titling the video "It's been a minute…" the 53-year-old Academy Award winner addressed his actions, and admitted he was "deeply remorseful."
The opening clip begins with words that read: "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," before he appears on the screen to talk directly to the camera about "the slap heard round the world."
The first question Will answered was "Why didn't you apologise to Chris in your acceptance speech?" To which he replied: "I was fogged out by that point. It's all fuzzy." He then explained that he has reached out to Rock since the event, but "the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk."
According to Smith, Rock has said that he'll reach out to him when he's ready.
"So I will say to you Chris, I apologise to you," he continued. "My behaviour was unacceptable. And I'm here whenever you're ready to talk." Smith also turned his attention to Rock's family, specifically to his mother, and his brother, Tony Rock.
Referring to his relationship with Tony, the King Richard actor said: "We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable." He then expressed that he's spent the last three months "replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment."
Smith also reiterated that his wife Jade Pinkett-Smith had nothing to do with his actions and that she didn't ask him to "do anything" after Chris Rock made the joke that spiralled the chain of events. "I made a choice on my own from my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it," he added.
He ended the video by addressing his fans, and the people that considered him a role model. "Disappointing people is my central trauma," he said. "I hate when I let people down." And after admitting how "shocking" his actions were, Will then made a pledge and a promise to continue to put "light and love and joy into the world."
He then added: "If you hang on, I promise we'll be able to be friends again."
You Might Also Like
