Will Smith pens public apology to Chris Rock after Oscars slap
This year’s Academy Awards saw one of the most awkward and uncomfortable TV moments of our time, as Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke at Jada Pinkett Smith’s expense.
However, it seems the King Richard star has been riddled with remorse, as he’s since taken to social media to publicly apologise to Rock, saying “Violence in all of its forms is destructive and poisonous”.
“My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote in a lengthy statement shared to Instagram on Monday evening.
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong.”
“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,” the dad-of-two continued.
“I would also like to apologise to the Academy, the producers of the show, the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologise to the Williams family and to my King Richard family.”
Continuing his public apology, Will said, “I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has otherwise been a gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”
The Independence Day actor has his comments turned off on this particular post.
Since the viral Oscar moment occurred on Sunday night, many people online have been debating whether or not either Will or Chris were in the wrong, and who exactly was to blame for this altercation.
Many people believe that Will “let himself down”, as Vogue Williams comments, “Comedians make jokes that some people don’t find funny which obviously Jada didn’t but you can’t waltz around slapping people because you don’t like what they say.”
Meanwhile, other people have been debating whether or not Chris knew about Jada’s condition with alopecia, or was he simply making a (bad) bald joke?
What’s your take on this year’s Oscars fiasco? Let us know in the comments below. If you want to try your chance on betting on nominees, here you can find the list of Film Daily of best Oscar betting sites.
