Actor Will Smith finally broke his silence on the infamous slap, wherein he struck Oscars presenter Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
In a video shared on YouTube, Smith expressed that he was "deeply remorseful" about the incident and took the time to directly answer questions raised on the internet about the slap itself. "It's been a minute... Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work...," Smith wrote. "You asked a lot of fair questions and I wanted to take some time to answer."
In the video, Smith answers a series of questions, including, "Why didn't you apologize to Chris in your acceptance speech?" According to Smith, he has reached out to Rock to speak about the altercation, but "the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk and when he is he will reach out." Smith then directly apologized to both Rock and Rock's family in the video. "My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," he said.
More questions include, "After Jada rolled her eyes, did she tell you to do something?" and "What would you say to the people who looked up to you before the slap or people who expressed that you let them down?" In response to these questions, Smith stated that he is "trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of [himself]." He said, "I'm human and I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of shit so I would say to those people, I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. If you hang on, I promise we will be able to be friends again.”
While presenting at the Oscars in March, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith's shaved head, wherein he said, "Jada, I love you-- G.I Jane 2, can't wait to see it." Pinkett Smith has spoken publically about her struggles with alopecia and Smith, in response to the joke, shocked the audience -- and Rock -- by walking on stage and slapping the comedian across the face.
Smith was later awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in King Richard. In the days following the ceremony, the actor issued a formal apology for the slap, which he called "unacceptable and inexcusable." After an enormous amount of backlash, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"I betrayed the trust of the Academy," Smith said in his statement. "I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken." He continued, "Change takes time," Smith states, "and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason."
Source: YouTube