Will Smith Says Chris Rock Is "Not Ready to Talk" in an Emotional Apology Video
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Will Smith is breaking his silence months after he slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars ceremony.
In a new video posted to YouTube today, the King Richard actor expressed an emotional apology to the comedian, who he slapped onstage during the live televised awards ceremony after Rock made a joke Jada Pinkett-Smith's baldness, a symptom of her alopecia diagnosis.
Smith responded to questions from fans in the video. Answering why he didn't immediately apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Smith said, "I was fogged out by that point. It is all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. So, I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you're ready to talk."
Smith also extended an apology to Rock's family members. "I saw an interview Chris's mother did, and that was one of the things about that moment I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment," he said. "So, I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, I want to apologize to Chris’s family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable."
He continued to reflect on what transpired after the slap. "I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment," he said. "I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, 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 is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults."
Smith also made sure to clarify that Pinkett-Smith did not ask him to act after Rock had made a joke at her expense. "I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris," he said. "Jada had nothing to do with it."
The actor had previously released a statement apologizing for his behavior back in March. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong," he said at the time. "I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Meanwhile, Rock alluded to the incident during a recent stand-up set in New York City, where he joked that "anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face," a source told Entertainment Tonight.
You Might Also Like
