The Best Actor winner publicly apologised to the comedian for his actions at the 94th Academy Awards.
Will Smith has apologised in a statement shared to his Instagram for striking and scolding comedian Chris Rock following an offensive joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
In the incident that plagued the Oscars talk for the rest of the night, Rock had joked about Pinkett Smith starring in a GI Jane sequel, referencing her shaved head which is a result of alopecia, a hair-loss condition.
Smith, who later won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, walked onto stage and slapped Rock before shouting at him for mentioning his wife, quickly bringing the room to silence.
The Seven Network broadcast the entire Oscars ceremony in Australia, as well as the entire incident, uncensored, which was quickly cut and muted in the US.
Now, Smith has addressed the incident for a second time following his acceptance speech for his first Oscar win, expressing embarrassment for his actions and apologising to Rock.
His Instagram statement said:
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. 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.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. 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.
“I am a work in progress.
“Sincerely, Will.”
Smith has blocked Instagram users from being able to comment on the post, which has already garnered in excess of one million likes.
It has been reported the Academy is in crisis talks about Smith’s actions at the Oscars ceremony, publicly condemning them in a statement.
The LAPD earlier confirmed Rock has refused to press charges against Smith.
