Date: 29th March 2022

Will Smith Publicly Apologizes To Chris Rock For Oscars Slap.


Will Smith issues a formal apology for his altercation with comedian and presenter Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards.

A day after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage during the live Academy Awards show, the actor apologized to the comedian, saying his actions were inexcusable.

"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," Smith wrote in an Instagram post Monday.

The actor explained that "jokes at his expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally." Smith then apologized to Rock directly, saying, "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."

While various audience members laughed, it didn't take long before the laughter died as Smith walked up on stage and slapped Rock in the face. As viewers at home and people in the building were all left stunned, it became quickly evident that this was by no means staged as Smith loudly told Rock to "keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!" Despite the ABC broadcast censuring the profanity, international streams quickly captured the heated moment and went viral on social media. While Smith formally apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his acceptance speech for winning his first Oscar, Rock wasn't one of the people he expressed regret to.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has issued a statement confirming they have officially started a formal review around Sunday night’s Will Smith incident at the 2022 Oscars.

In the statement today they say: "The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law."

Source: Press Release