Four months after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars, shocking the crowd and barring him from attending the ceremony for 10 years, Will Smith posted a video He expressed regret over the incident on Friday and promised that he was doing “personal work” to address his actions.
“Knowing that I didn’t live up to people’s images and impressions hurt me mentally and emotionally,” Smith said in the video. “I’m deeply self-reflecting, and I’m trying to self-reflect without shame, am I right? I’m human, and I made a mistake.”
Smith, who resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just days after the ceremony, apologized to many in a nearly six-minute video – Locke joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.Smith before getting up and slapping him on live TV. (Pinkett-Smith has been open about her struggle with alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss, and in a statement shortly after the incident, Smith said the joke about his wife’s condition was “I can’t stand it.” said.”)
“Chris, I apologize to you,” Smith said in the video.
Shortly after the attack, Mr. Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor. In the video, he explained that he failed to apologize to Mr. Rock during his speech.
Smith said he later tried to contact Locke, but received a message that the comedian was not ready to speak and would contact him when he was ready. He apologized to Locke’s family, including TV interview Said, “When you hurt my child, you hurt me.”
He also apologized “for the heat I brought to all of us” to his own family and to the other nominees that night for hurting their moment.
Pinkett-Smith has spoken little about her own experience that night, but last month made alopecia the centerpiece of an episode of her online talk show Red Table Talk, where she lost her 12-year-old daughter to suicide. I interviewed a woman. Consequences of bullying over conditions.
Speaking of slaps, Pinkett Smith said:
Rock hasn’t elaborated on his response to the attack, but he made a joke about it earlier this week on a comedy show in Brooklyn. During part of his victim-focused set, he told the crowd that after Mr. Smith slapped him, he shook it off, “I went to work the next day,” and received a persistent response from the audience. A representative for Rock has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In Friday’s video, Smith appeared to be working to repair his reputation and reassure his fans that his actions at the ceremony did not reflect who he really is, saying: said to at that moment. “
“I know it was shocking, but I promise you, I am deeply dedicated and committed to bringing light, love and joy to the world,” he concluded. “I promise that if you keep trying, we’ll be friends again.”
Melena Ryzik and Jason Zinoman contributed to the report.