Will Smith apologized on Monday for slapping comedian and Oscar host Chris Rock in the face during the Oscars broadcast on Sunday night.
“Violence is poisonous and harmful in all of its manifestations. My actions at the Academy Awards last night was both disgusting and inexcusable, “Smith claimed in an Instagram post. “Jokes about my medical condition are part of the work, but one about my wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, was too much for him to stomach, and he reacted emotionally,” he claimed.
“Chris, I’d like to officially apologize to you. I was both out of line and incorrect. I’m embarrassed, and my actions do not reflect the guy I aspire to be. There isn’t any room.for violence in a world of love and kindness,” he wrote.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences earlier condemned the slapping and said it has officially launched a formal review of the incident “and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”
Smith also apologized to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
“I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress,” he added, referring to Venus and Serena Williams, who star with him in the movie King Richard.
Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada during the program.
“I adore you, Jada.” “I can’t wait to watch G.I. Jane 2,” he said, seemingly comparing Pinkett Smith’s shaved head to Demi Moore’s US Navy Seals character’s military haircut in the film G.I. Jane.
Smith then rushed the stage and slapped Rock across the face with an open hand, which was not seen on the broadcast but was quickly disseminated unedited through online outlets.
“Wow,” says the speaker. “Wow,” said a surprised Rock. “Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me,” says the narrator.
Jada has alopecia areata, which is a disorder in which the body’s immune system assaults hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.