LOS ANGELES, CA – Four months have passed since Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, and now the “King Richard” actor is addressing the incident on-camera in a newly released video.
Posted to Smith’s YouTube, Instagram and Facebook accounts earlier this morning, the nearly six-minute-long video saw the 53-year-old actor – who won the Oscar for Best Actor that night – answer several questions including why he did not apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech.
“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said. “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.”
Smith also once again apologized to the comedian and called his behavior “unacceptable.”
In addition, he apologized to Rock’s mother and younger brother, Tony Rock, whom he said he once had a “great relationship” with.
“You know, that was one of the things about that moment,” Smith said. “I just didn’t realize, and you know I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment.”
In a statement posted to his Instagram the day after the incident, Smith said that he “reacted emotionally” after Rock made a joke that compared Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head to Demi Moore’s “G.I. Jane” character who sported a similar look.
In 2018, Pinkett Smith revealed that she had been diagnosed with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in the video. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
He also denied Pinkett Smith’s involvement in the incident, saying that his wife of nearly 25 years “had nothing to do with it.”
Shortly after the controversial slap, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and delivered a heartfelt speech that was seemingly overshadowed by what had transpired moments before.
“To all my fellow nominees, you know, this is a community. It’s like I won because you voted for me. And it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment,” Smith said. “I can still see Questlove’s eyes. You know it happened on Questlove’s award. And you know, it’s like ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”
While Smith resigned from the academy days after the televised ceremony took place, he was ultimately banned from attending any Oscars ceremonies or academy-associated events for 10 years.
Despite making brief references of the slap during various stand-up performances, Rock has not officially addressed the incident in depth.
Closing out the video, Smith said that he was “deeply remorseful” and vowed to remain committed “to putting light and love and joy into the world.”
“If you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to friends again,” Smith said.
