It’s hard to believe it’s been 4 months since Will Smith and Chris Rock’s Oscars altercation . In the months that followed, Will’s wife Jada Pinket-Smith , and Chris Rock have spoken about the incident, while Will has only been limited to one Instagram apology in the days following.
On Friday morning, the Academy Award-winning actor finally broke his silence.
In a new, emotional Instagram video, the acclaimed actor spoke about the incident and the ramifications of the months following.
“It’s been a minute over the last few months I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work,” the text on the screen reads. “You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”
When questioned why he didn’t apologize to Chris during his acceptance speech for Best Actor, Will explained: “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.”
“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,” Will added, clearly emotional.
The actor also took a moment to apologize to Chris’ mother. “I saw an interview that Chris’s mother did. And, you know, that was one of the things about that moment I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologize to Chris’ mother.”
“I want to apologize to Chris’ family,” he continued, calling out Chris’ younger brother, Tony Rock. “We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable.”
The King Richard star told fans he “spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and and the complexities of what happened in in that moment.”
He explained that he is not proud of how he handled the situation.
“I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave. In that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
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The actor then went on to defend his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and shut down the cruel speculations that she told him to slap Chris.
“It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own. From my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it,” he explained. “I’m sorry babe.”
We’re hoping for healing for all those involved!
