On Air Now
The Evening Show with Dan O'Connell 7pm - 10pm
Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for Oscars slap in statement
29 March 2022, 09:12 | Updated: 30 March 2022, 11:50
The King Richard star has released a statement publicly apologising to Chris Rock and the Williams family and condemning his actions as "unacceptable".
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Will Smith has issued a public apology to Chris Rock after slapping him at the Oscars.
The actor took home the Oscar for Best Actor In a Leading Role on Sunday (27th March) for his role in King Richard, where he portrays the Serena and Venus Williams' father, but his achievement was overshadowed by the incident which occurred before.
Now, taking to Instagram, Smith has apologised to Chris Rock and called his behaviour "unacceptable and inexcusable" and explained it was an emotional reaction to his wife Jada Pinkett's alopecia being made fun of.
His statement began: "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.
"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."
The Fresh Prince star continued: "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.
"I am a work in progress."
Watch the full confrontation between Will Smith and Chris Rock live on the Oscars stage after gag about Jada Pinkett Smith
READ MORE: Oscars 2022 winners - See the full list here
