The Oscar winner apologizes to Chris Rock, Rock’s family, and Smith’s fellow nominees in the video, saying, “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.”
Will Smith is “deeply sorry” for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars this year. The King Richard actor broke his silence on Friday with a five-minute, 44-second video titled “It’s been a minute…” on his official YouTube page. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work over the last few months.” “You asked a lot of reasonable questions, and I wanted to take some time to respond,” the words on the screen read. Then Smith appears in a white “W” baseball hat and dives headfirst into the questions that have been circulating since “the slap heard round the world.”
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“How come you didn’t apologize to Chris in your acceptance speech?” Smith is reading. “I was fogged out by then,” he admits. “Everything is hazy.” Smith goes on to say that he contacted Rock but that “the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk.” According to Smith, Rock says he’ll contact the King Richard actor when he’s ready.
“So I’ll say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” Smith says directly to the camera in the video. “My conduct was unacceptable. And I’m available whenever you want to talk.”
While Rock does not appear to be ready to talk to Smith about the slap, the comedian has discussed the incident at his own shows. On July 24, Rock and Kevin Hart co-headlined a comedy show at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. According to Us Weekly, Rock joked during his set, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Later on the set, Rock is said to have said, “I’m not a victim, motherfucker,” and that he “shook that shit off” before returning to work after the slap. “That shit hurt, motherfucker,” he admitted. “But…I don’t go to the ER for a paper cut.”
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Smith then apologizes to Rock’s mother and Rock’s brother, Tony Rock, in his video. “We had a fantastic relationship,” Smith says of Tony. “My man was Tony Rock.” And this is most likely irreversible.” Smith continues, “replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment” for the past three months.
“There is no part of me that believes that was the correct way to act in that moment,” he says. “There is no part of me that believes that is the best way to deal with feelings of disrespect or insult.”
Smith insists that his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, did not request that he “do something” in response to Chris Rock’s joke about her. “It’s like, you know, I made a choice based on my own experiences, based on my history with Chris—Jada had nothing to do with it,” he says, apologizing to his family and fellow nominees. “It breaks my heart to have stolen and ruined your moment,” he says.
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He concludes the video by addressing those who saw Smith as a role model before the slap and were disappointed by his actions at the Oscars. “My central trauma is disappointing people,” he says. “I despise disappointing people.”
Smith says at the end of the video, “I know it was shocking.” “But I assure you that I am deeply dedicated and committed to bringing light, love, and joy into the world.” And, you know, if you stick with me, I promise we’ll be friends again.”
