Will Smith has apologised to Chris Rock, in a tell-all video after slapping the comedian earlier in the year at the Academy Awards. The Fresh Prince actor shared the video on his YouTube page to explain and apologise to Chris, their families and Will's fans.
Will, 53, began the video with a message on screen which read: "It's been a minute... Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work..." He continued by saying that he'd answer some questions following the Oscars slap.
Will opened up about his controversial actions and explained why he didn't say sorry to Chris, 57, during his acceptance speech immediately after the event. In March, Will slapped Chris after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith in which he compared her to GI Jane.
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During the video, he repeated a question asking why he didn't apologise to Chris at the prestigious awards ceremony. Will said: "I was fogged out by that point."
Addressing the comedian directly, Will looked at the camera and said: "So I will say to you, Chris; I apologise to you, my behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk." He also apologised to Rock’s mother and father and explained he "wasn't thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment".
Will added: "I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment. And I’m not going to try and unpack all of that right now but I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle feelings of disrespect or insults."
Will revealed that his wife Jada Pinkett Smith did not tell him to do anything after fans noticed she rolled her eyes at Chris's joke. The actor explained: "It's like, you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it."
Addressing his wife, Will said: "I'm sorry babe, I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat I brought on all of us." The actor then went on to apologise to his fellow Oscar nominees: "It really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove's eyes – it happened on Questlove's award – and, you know, it's like 'I'm sorry' really isn't sufficient."
Following the slap, Will was banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years. At the time, Academy president David Rubin acknowledged the organisation "fell short" in its response to the incident and hoped the decision would "begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted". You can read more about that here.
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