Less than 24 hours after slapping Chris Rock during the Academy Awards ceremony, Will Smith issued a public apology to the actor Monday.
Smith posted his apology to Instagram, saying he was out of line following his actions which were spurred by a joke Rock made at the expense of Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Minutes after hitting Rock, Smith was given a standing ovation for winning Best Actor for his work on the film “King Richard.”
“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 .Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” in the post and said, “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
The actor said he should have anticipated and reacted to the joke appropriately as his line of work invites such comments.
“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.”
He expressed how regretful he feels about his actions, which he believes has “stained” a “gorgeous journey” he has had with the cast of the King Richard movie.
Smith apologized to the producer of the show, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and everybody who watched the show.
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world.
Smith’s apology came hours after the Academy released a statement that said it “condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show.”
“The academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show,” the academy said in a statement. “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct, and California law.”
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