“My behaviour was unacceptable” – Will Smith apologises for slapping Chris Rock in emotional video

After Rock joked to Smith that he was looking forward to a sequel to “G.I. Jane,” Smith stood up from his seat near the stage, strode up to Rock and slapped him. After sitting back down, Smith shouted at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”

UPDATE 29 July 2022:

Will Smith has posted a nearly 6-minute long YouTube video, where he makes his most extensive public comments regarding the incident where he slapped Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in March.

“Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk”, says Smith in the sit down YouTube video.

Watch the video posted on Will Smith’s YouTube channel below.

In addition to apologizing to Chris Rock, Will Smith extended his apologies to Chris’ mother, Rose Rock, and his younger brother, Tony Rock.

During his explanation on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,” Smith clarified that his decision to act out in the moment was his own and not influenced by his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. He emphasized, “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.” Smith also expressed regret to his children and family for the repercussions his actions had on them, acknowledging the heat that it brought upon all of them.

Here’s our article from 28 March 2022:

The 94th Academy Awards, which had been maintaining a lively atmosphere, was suddenly disrupted by a shocking incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock. The tension arose when Rock made a jest about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Rock quipped to Smith about anticipating a sequel to “G.I. Jane,” a comment that evidently struck a nerve with Smith. In a swift motion, Smith rose from his seat near the stage, approached Rock, and delivered a slap. Seated once more, Smith forcefully admonished Rock to refrain from mentioning his wife’s name. Despite Rock’s attempt to clarify that it was merely a reference to “G.I. Jane,” a film related joke, Smith reiterated his demand, visibly agitated by the remark.

“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock said, before awkwardly returning to presenting Best Documentary, which went to Questlove’s “Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Was Not Televised).”

Later in the ceremony, a tearful Smith won the Best Actor Oscar, his first.

“I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you in this business. You got to be able to have people disrespecting you and you got to smile and you got to pretend like that’s OK,” Smith said.

A few minutes later, rapper Sean Combs — on stage to introduce a tribute to “The Godfather” — tried to play peacemaker and suggested Smith and Rock settle their differences at an Oscars afterparty. “Will and Chris, we’re going to solve that like family at the Gold party,” Combs said.

The moment shocked the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home.

How it happenedReuters Connect

During the commercial break following his emotional acceptance speech, Will Smith was approached by presenter Daniel Kaluuya, who hugged him, and Denzel Washington, who escorted him to the side of the stage. The two engaged in a conversation, sharing hugs, while Tyler Perry also joined in to offer support.

“I’m hoping the Academy invites me back,” remarked Will Smith as he concluded his on-stage remarks.

Prior to this incident, the show had been running smoothly, with notable milestones such as Ariana DeBose becoming the first Afro-Latina to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, and Troy Kotsur becoming the first deaf male actor to win an Academy Award. Meanwhile, another individual named Will Smith was receiving numerous tags on Twitter, likely due to the confusion surrounding the incident.

The tech pod host and digital media executive from San Francisco just kept on tweeting through the pain.