Source: ROBYN BECK / Getty
Will Smith has formally apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the telecast of the 94th Academy Awards. The now Oscar-winning actor took to social media to offer his mea culpa.
A day later (March 28), and after apologizing during his acceptance speech after winning an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Smith apologized to everybody.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” said Smith in a statement surely cooked up by a smooth publicist and posted on his Instagram. “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 Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize 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.”
While the full message was in the caption the image of his words was two parts.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” can be read on the next page. “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.”
Earlier in the day, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said it condemned Smith’s actions, and that it would be conducting a formal review. That shouldn’t take too long considering the entire world witnessed it, basically.
Smith’s actions have been divisive, to say the least, with different factions saying he was totally wrong and others saying he was just protecting his wife with a myriad of nuanced and passionate takes in between. While Smith took the stage at the Dolby Theater and tapped Rock’s jaw after he took a crack at Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, the context is she suffers from the auto-immune disease alopecia, which causes hair loss, and the comedian has taken shots at her before.
No word from Chris Rock, beyond his refusal to press assault charges, yet.
Tagged: Chris Rock, entertainment blog, music blog, NEWS, Newsletter, The Oscars, Will Smith