Will Smith is finally breaking his silence about the Oscars slap in an emotional video posted to Instagram and on YouTube.
He said in the video that he reached out to Chris and was told that he was not ready to speak.
He said:
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. And when he is, he will reach out. 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 the video, he used questions that were asked on social media about the Oscar’s slap and responded to them in a very measured way.
According to Variety Smith once again reiterated that he was sorry for his actions, calling his behavior “unacceptable.” The actor has said he responded violently because Rock’s joke referenced the hair loss that Pinkett Smith suffers because of her alopecia. It’s a struggle that Pinkett Smith has publicly addressed in the past.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith says in the video. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith also addressed questions about whether or not Pinkett Smith, who was seen on camera rolling her eyes at Rock’s joke comparing her buzzcut to the one Demi Moore sports in “G.I. Jane,” had urged him to charge the stage. The actor said his wife said nothing to spur him to assault Rock.
“It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” Smith says. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe. I wanna say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”
There had been speculation that Smith would open up about the fallout surrounding the Rock slap in a sit-down interview with someone like Oprah Winfrey, but instead, the actor appears to be trying to use social media to directly address his fans. In the wake of the slap, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group behind the Oscars and offered up statements of contrition, but has otherwise maintained a low profile.
Watch below:
Not Will Smith speaking out ong so much is happening
— STOP DONATING TO BLM NATIONAL AND SHAUN KING (@WrittenByHanna) July 29, 2022
and
never in my life would I expect Will Smith of all people to make an apology video pic.twitter.com/flnSk5M8yR
— Brooks✞ (@Ankshusmf) July 29, 2022
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