Movie star Will Smith issued an apology to Chris Rock for slapping himat the Oscar awards ceremony after the comedian made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife.
Smith posted the apology to his official Instagram account on Monday.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” wrote Smith.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. 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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness,” he added.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” Smith continued.
“I am a work in progress,” he concluded.
Viewers were stunned and shocked when Smith marched up to Rock and slapped him after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, an auto-immune disease which forces the body to attack its own hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. Smith did apologize during his speech later when he accepted the award for best actor, but he did not mention Rock specifically.
The Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences initially released a simple statement condemning all violence, but later on Monday, they released a second statement condemning Smith and saying they were reviewing “further consequences” they might issue.
Whoopi Goldberg, who is on the Academy’s board of governors, said on “The View” that they would not be taking away Smith’s award.
“We’re not going to take that Oscar from him. There will be consequences, I’m sure,” she said.
