Will Smith Apologizes To Chris Rock: “Violence In All Of Its Forms Is Poisonous And Destructive”

During Will Smith’s Oscar-night acceptance speech, as he collected his statue for Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard, he apologized to the Motion Picture Academy and his fellow nominees for his behavior earlier in the night when he approached the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock — but he did not apologize Rock himself. Last night (March 28), Smith issued an apology directly to Rock via his Instagram, writing the following:

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.

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. Sincerely, Will

Smith turned the comments off to avoid any public discourse about the situation on his page, as the situation has clearly become the most-talked-about moment of this year’s Academy Awards. While some fans weren’t happy with the joke that Rock told which triggered Smith, poking fun of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, others think Smith should be punished somehow, even mentioning that he could be stripped of his Oscar for his violent outburst.