During a show at London's O2 Arena, Chris Rock publicly addressed Will Smith's recent YouTube video where he apologized to Rock for slapping him onstage at the Oscars.
Reported by Deadline, Rock brushed off the YouTube upload, saying "f*ck your hostage video." Rock's set was followed by comedian Dave Chappelle, who was also attacked on stage back in May by an audience member. "That was some scary sh*t," he said.
In the nearly six-minute YouTube video, Smith said that he had encouraged Rock to reach out to him to discuss the slap, which took place in March. "The message that came back is that he's not ready to talk and when he is he will reach out," explained Smith, who then directly apologized to Rock. "My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," he said.
Smith issued a formal apology back in March, directly after the Oscars. He explained his actions, saying that a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith's "medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally." He then added, "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."
Despite his attempts to make amends, Smith has been banned from the Academy Awards for the next decade. This ban includes both the Oscar ceremony and other affiliated events. Smith also resigned from the Academy, explaining in a statement "I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken."
This isn't the only way the slap has effected Smith's career. According to a poll, public opinion of Smith dropped 30 percent after the incident. In addition, two-thirds of the people surveyed said that Smith's actions were "inappropriate," and 49 percent believed he should have been removed from the Oscars ceremony.
One of Smith's upcoming films, Netflix action thriller Fast and Loose, was also put on the back burner shortly after the incident. And while Netflix has not said whether this has anything to do with the slap, some fans speculate that the filmmakers wanted to avoid dealing with the controversy surrounding the actor.
Source: Deadline