Will Smith has apologised for punching presenter Chris Rock at the Academy Awards on Sunday. In a post on Instagram on Monday afternoon, Smith termed his actions “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,” he wrote. “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.”
Smith added in his post, “Violence in all forms is poisonous and destructive.”
He also apologised to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees, and everyone watching around the world,” as well as the Williams sisters’ families and anyone involved with the film for which he earned his best actor award on Sunday.
“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he wrote. “I am a work in progress.”
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During the Oscars ceremony, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock when the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife.
When Smith stormed the stage and punched comedian Chris Rock in the face on Sunday, he created a disturbance that disrupted the tone of an otherwise upbeat Oscars ceremony.
After Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, the moment arrived.
“Jada, I love you, ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” Rock quipped as he presented the award for best documentary.
Pinkett Smith, who has been vocal about her fight with alopecia, an autoimmune illness that causes hair loss, seemed unimpressed as the camera moved to her.
“That was a nice one,” Rock replied, seemingly in response to the joke’s poor reception.
Rock then chuckled and said, “Oh uh,” as Smith approached him on stage and slapped him across the face.
Rock was reportedly hit, according to CNN reporter Stephanie Elam, who was in the audience. “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth!” Smith yelled twice during the confrontation, according to Elam.
“Oh, wow,” Rock replied.
The verbal portion of the altercation between Rock and Smith was muffled for home viewers.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock declared as the theatre fell silent.
Smith’s win overshadowed
Smith would return to the stage 40 minutes later, this time as the winner.
A weeping Smith recognised the earlier incident and apologised to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the institution behind the Oscars, and fellow candidates as he accepted his best actor prize for his part in “King Richard.” It’s worth noting that Rock was not addressed by name.
Smith said, “I know to do what we do, you gotta be able to take abuse and have people talk people about you. In this business, you gotta have people disrespecting you. And you gotta smile and pretend that’s ok.”
Prior to his win, Smith offered some advice from fellow contender Denzel Washington, who said, “At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.”
Smith concluded by expressing his hope that the Academy will welcome him back.
Chris Rock’s agents have been contacted by CNN for comment.
Reaction
Following the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences issued a brief statement about the on-stage incident, which read: “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”
Rock also elected not to seek charges against Smith for the onstage altercation, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
However, when the after-parties raged on and the morning dawned, the reaction to the moment continued to simmer.
By midday on Monday, the Academy delivered a stronger statement, this time condemning Smith’s actions and revealing they had started a “formal review around the incident.”
It added that it “will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”
According to a person familiar with the situation, Academy leadership “strongly considered” pulling Smith from the Oscars programme following the incident.
“There were immediate discussions but the Academy decision makers were seated in various spots in the Dolby Theater and couldn’t mobilize to make a decision before he won best actor,” the source said.
According to two persons familiar with the discussion, at least a dozen Academy members gathered electronically on Monday morning to consider a response to Smith smacking Rock.
“Heated” and “divided” was how the gathering was described. According to the sources, there was no agreement on how to proceed.
The dozen members who convened on their own initiative are described as powerful and well-known Academy members, including actors and directors. The committee has no disciplinary authority, but they are deemed high-profile enough that the Academy’s Board of Governors could be influenced in their response.
The Academy has around 9,000 voting members, most of whom are Hollywood actors and executives.
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