Four months after Will Smith shocking slap of Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards, the “King Richard” actor has sparked another debate by releasing a nearly 6-minute video Friday, publicly apologizing to Rock on camera for the first time.
Within hours of the video’s release, some people online praised Smith for the courage and humility he demonstrated with his apology, but others questioned the movie star’s sincerity, even as he expressed profound remorse.
Indeed, at points in the video, Smith appeared to reach deep within himself to convey the sometimes nonstop anguish that a person, known to usually be positive and decent, can feel when they make a mistake or a choice that causes serious harm to someone else.
“I’m deeply remorseful, and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself,” Smith said. “I’m human. I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of (expletive).”
In his video, Smith responded to questions he has received since the March 27 awards show about whether he feels bad about letting fans and people close to him down. He said that “disappointing people is my central trauma.”
“I hate when I let people down,” Smith said. “It hurts me psychologically and emotionally that I don’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. … 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 out light and love and joy into the world.”
The notorious slap occurred on the live televised show after Rock cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her hair loss, which is caused by alopecia.
After smacking Rock, Smith returned to his seat in the front of the theater and yelled at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.” Within the hour, Smith returned to the stage to collect his long-sought best actor Oscar, awarded to him for his role in “King Richard.”
Backlash mounted overnight and Smith’s attack on Rock became a national talking point through the rest of the week. The actor issued an apology to the comedian the following day, while also saying that the joke about his wife was “too much for me to bear” and he “reacted emotionally.” By the end of the week, Smith had resigned from the Academy and acknowledged that his sudden public attack had been “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
The following week, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to ban Smith from Academy events for the next 10 years.
In the four months since, Rock has made brief jokes at stand-up performances referencing the moment, but he hasn’t spoken about it in length, People reported. He has said he’ll “talk about it at some point.”
Some on Friday questioned why Smith chose to release the video now, four months “too late.” Others wondered why he revealed that he had reached out to Rock to personally apologize, but that Smith said Rock is “not ready to talk.” Some wondered whether Smith was somehow trying to put pressure on Rock to respond and to even offer his forgiveness?
Smith said in the video, “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
In other ways, Smith wasn’t as willing to open up. For example, he said he wasn’t ready to go into what he was thinking in the moment he chose to react to Rock’s joke with violence — whether, for example, he felt his own ego or reputation was under attack or whether some simmering resentment toward Rock or anyone else took hold.
“I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now but I can say to you, there was no part of me that thought that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith added.
Smith also apologized to others affected by slapping Rock. That includes Rock’s mother and family, and the other nominees and winners that night. Smith noted that his attack overshadowed the rest of the ceremony.
“To all my fellow nominees … it breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment,” Smith said. However, everyone that night paid close attention to how Smith didn’t apologize to Rock when he got up to accept his best actor Oscar. Addressing why he didn’t apologize to Rock in his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Smith said, “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.”
Smith also apologized to his wife and children, “for all the heat that I brought on all of us,” and to others, he promised that in time, they’ll be able to be friends again.
Four months after Will Smith shocking slap of Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards, the “King Richard” actor has sparked another debate by releasing a nearly 6-minute video Friday, publicly apologizing to Rock on camera for the first time.
Within hours of the video’s release, some people online praised Smith for the courage and humility he demonstrated with his apology, but others questioned the movie star’s sincerity, even as he expressed profound remorse.
Indeed, at points in the video, Smith appeared to reach deep within himself to convey the sometimes nonstop anguish that a person, known to usually be positive and decent, can feel when they make a mistake or a choice that causes serious harm to someone else.
“I’m deeply remorseful, and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself,” Smith said. “I’m human. I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of (expletive).”
In his video, Smith responded to questions he has received since the March 27 awards show about whether he feels bad about letting fans and people close to him down. He said that “disappointing people is my central trauma.”
“I hate when I let people down,” Smith said. “It hurts me psychologically and emotionally that I don’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. … 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 out light and love and joy into the world.”
The notorious slap occurred on the live televised show after Rock cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her hair loss, which is caused by alopecia.
After smacking Rock, Smith returned to his seat in the front of the theater and yelled at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your (expletive) mouth.” Within the hour, Smith returned to the stage to collect his long-sought best actor Oscar, awarded to him for his role in “King Richard.”
Backlash mounted overnight and Smith’s attack on Rock became a national talking point through the rest of the week. The actor issued an apology to the comedian the following day, while also saying that the joke about his wife was “too much for me to bear” and he “reacted emotionally.” By the end of the week, Smith had resigned from the Academy and acknowledged that his sudden public attack had been “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”
The following week, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to ban Smith from Academy events for the next 10 years.
In the four months since, Rock has made brief jokes at stand-up performances referencing the moment, but he hasn’t spoken about it in length, People reported. He has said he’ll “talk about it at some point.”
Some on Friday questioned why Smith chose to release the video now, four months “too late.” Others wondered why he revealed that he had reached out to Rock to personally apologize, but that Smith said Rock is “not ready to talk.” Some wondered whether Smith was somehow trying to put pressure on Rock to respond and to even offer his forgiveness?
Smith said in the video, “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
In other ways, Smith wasn’t as willing to open up. For example, he said he wasn’t ready to go into what he was thinking in the moment he chose to react to Rock’s joke with violence — whether, for example, he felt his own ego or reputation was under attack or whether some simmering resentment toward Rock or anyone else took hold.
“I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now but I can say to you, there was no part of me that thought that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith added.
Smith also apologized to others affected by slapping Rock. That includes Rock’s mother and family, and the other nominees and winners that night. Smith noted that his attack overshadowed the rest of the ceremony.
“To all my fellow nominees … it breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment,” Smith said. However, everyone that night paid close attention to how Smith didn’t apologize to Rock when he got up to accept his best actor Oscar. Addressing why he didn’t apologize to Rock in his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Smith said, “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.”
Smith also apologized to his wife and children, “for all the heat that I brought on all of us,” and to others, he promised that in time, they’ll be able to be friends again.