Will Smith has apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him at the 2022 Oscars on Sunday night.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” the Best Actor winner wrote on Instagram on Monday afternoon. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about my Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
During the evening, Smith rushed the stage and socked the comedian for making a bald joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote in his statement. “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.”
Smith went on to apologize to “the Academy, producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” as well as to “the Williams Family and my King Richards Family.”
“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he concluded. “I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”
After the slap seen ’round the world, Smith, 53, returned to his seat and twice shouted at Rock, 57, to “keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth.”
Moments later, he won the evening’s most coveted title for his role in “King Richard,” a biographical film in which he played Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams.
During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to everyone except Rock.
“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all of my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award,” he said. “It’s not about winning an award for me; it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.”
Following the wild ceremony, Smith attended the Vanity Fair afterparty with Pinkett Smith, 50, and several other members of his family. He was seen dancing the night away and rapping along to many of his 1990s hits.
Meanwhile, Rock partied it up at music manager Guy Oseary’s annual bash, where eyewitnesses told Page Six he seemed “unfazed” by the assault.
Hours before Smith released his statement, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released one of its own. In it, the organization said it “condemns” Smith’s actions and has launched a “formal review” into the incident.
Richard Williams echoed those sentiments, saying he doesn’t “condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.”
Despite initial debates about whether the moment was scripted, an ABC executive confirmed that it was all ad-libbed.
As for the deliverer of the bad joke, it’s been reported that Rock was unaware of Pinkett Smith’s hair-loss condition.