Will Smith has addressed slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. Four months after the awards ceremony, Smith sat in front of a camera and answered questions about the moment he slapped the comedian on stage.
“It’s been a minute...” the text at the beginning of the video reads. “Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work... You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”
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Smith said he was “fogged out” and the events were “fuzzy”. He said he reached out to Rock, but the response was that Rock was not ready to talk.
“So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you,” Smith said. “My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
During the Academy Awards ceremony on March 27, Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair.
Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disease which attacks the hair follicles.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has banned the actor from any academy event or program for 10 years.
At the end of his video, Smith said, “I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. And, you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”