Will Smith yells at comedian Chris Rock (not pictured) from his front-row seat at the 2022 Oscars after taking the stage and slapping him for a joke about Smith’s wife during the March 27 ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Will Smith said he was “fogged out” and that he’s reached out to Chris Rock to formally apologize for the infamous Oscars slap.
“It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said of the incident in a video posted online Friday.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” he said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
While Rock presented the Oscar for best documentary at the March 27 ceremony in Los Angeles, Smith took exception to the comedian’s joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head as the couple sat near the stage. Pinkett Smith has openly addressed having alopecia in recent years.
After some uncomfortable laughter, Smith emerged from his seat, approached Rock onstage and slapped him. After returning to his seat, he twice yelled at a stunned Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—ing mouth.”
In Smith’s video, he also apologized to Rock’s mother and brother Tony Rock.
“That was one of the things about the moment. I just didn’t realize,” Smith recounted.
“I was thinking [about] how many people got hurt in that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’ mother. I want to apologize to Chris’ family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. You know, Tony Rock was my man, and this is probably irreparable.”
Smith also refused to lay any blame on his wife.
“I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences from my history with Chris,” Smith stated. “Jada had nothing to do [with it].”
He also noted how his actions were a distraction from his best actor win and other nominees and winners.
“It really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment,” Smith said.
“Sorry isn’t really sufficient. But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. And if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
Interestingly, Smith’s video came a day after reports that Rock also finally addressed the incident directly for the first time.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock reportedly quipped Sunday during a standup performance in New Jersey.
“I’m not a victim,” he said. “Yeah, that s— hurt. But I shook that s— off and went to work the next day. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
