Will Smith APOLOGIZES to Chris Rock for ‘inexcusable’ assault during the Oscars

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Will Smith has apologized for slapping Chris Rock at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, saying his behavior was ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and left him ’embarrassed’. 

The 53-year-old wrote in an Instagram post that he was ’embarrassed’ by his actions, which shocked the ceremony attendees, producers and viewers.

‘Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,’ he wrote. 

‘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.’

Smith then went on to say sorry to the organizers and the producers of the show.

Rock has not responded to Smith’s apology, or commented on the Sunday night incident. 

Smith also extended his apology to the family of Venus and Serena Williams. 

Shortly after slapping Rock, Smith won the best actor award for his portrayal of their father Richard – but the story of their family was overshadowed by Smith’s attack. 

Richard Williams – who the Oscar-winner portrays in King Richard – said after the attack that he condemns violence.

Chavoita LeSane, Williams’ son, told NBC: ‘We don’t know all the details of what happened. But we don’t condone anyone hitting anyone else unless it’s in self-defense.’

Smith said: ‘I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,’ Smith continued. 

‘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.’

The Philadelphia-born actor concluded:  ‘I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.’

His apology came as the group that hands out the Oscars on Monday condemned Smith’s actions and said it had started a formal review of the incident that cast a shadow over the film honors.

Smith strode on stage during the live telecast and struck Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the appearance of Smith’s wife. 

Smith’s meltdown continued when he returned to his seat as he repeatedly screamed: ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth’. 

The crowd then fell into stunned silence as it became clear the attack was genuine, and not staged.  

Rock replied to him saying: ‘I’m going to, okay?’

He then laughed uncomfortably, saying: ‘That was the greatest night in the history of television’. 

Smith’s sweary rant was muted by directors because the show’s live broadcast is slightly delayed in the US.

But it was aired in full to some international audiences with the uncut clip already been viewed more than a million times on social media and YouTube in the first few hours.

Any questions over whether the altercation was genuine were answered when just over half an hour later Smith was given the Best Actor award and apologized for the assault.

In his acceptance speech a crying Smith said: ‘Love makes you do crazy things’, as he clutched his Oscar statuette.  

‘You gotta be able to take abuse, and you gotta be able to have people talk crazy about you,’ Smith said. 

‘In this business, you gotta be able to have people disrespecting you and you gotta smile and you gotta pretend like that’s OK. 

‘Denzel (Washington) said to me a few minutes ago, he said, “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.”

‘It’s like I want to be a vessel for love. 

‘I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador of that kind of love and care and concern.’

The actor went on: ‘I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. 

‘Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things’. 

He added: ‘I’m hoping the Academy invites me back. Thank you’.  

Smith’s relationship with his wife had been the butt of jokes during awards season. 

At the BAFTAs in London a fortnight ago host Rebel Wilson targeted the couple when he won won the Leading Actor award for his role in King Richard. 

The assembled audience at the Royal Albert Hall, which didn’t include the star who stayed in LA,  groaned as she said his ‘best performance in the past year was being OK with all his wife’s boyfriends’ – a nod to Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s open relationship. 

It came after he recently admitted his wife had ‘never believed in a conventional marriage’ and claims she had an affair. This may explain why he reacted so sensitively to Rock’s joke about her. 

Journalists covering the awards ceremony from the press area were instructed not to ask any attendees about Smith slapping Rock, according to BBC correspondent David Sillito. 

Late Sunday night, the LAPD issued a statement saying that Rock had not filed a police report against Smith, but that if he chooses to do so, police will investigate.

‘LAPD investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program,’ the statement said. ‘The incident involved one individual slapping another.’ 

It was not immediately clear whether the Academy would penalize Smith in any way for his outburst. 

In a statement on Monday, the 9,900-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it ‘condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show.’

‘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,’ the academy added.

The group’s standards of conduct policy states it is ‘categorically opposed to any form of abuse, harassment or discrimination’ and expects members to uphold the values ‘of respect for human dignity, inclusion, and a supportive environment that fosters creativity.’

Violations may result in suspension or expulsion from the group, revocation of Oscars, or loss of eligibility for future awards, according to the policy. 

Marshall Herskovitz, president emeritus of the Producers Guild of America, was among the first to condemn Smith, tweeting shortly after the attack that Smith had ‘disgraced our entire community’. 

He said: ‘I call upon the Academy, of which I am a member, to take disciplinary action against Will Smith. He disgraced our entire community tonight.’  

Herskovitz accused those who defended the actor of ‘moral cowardice’.

‘People standing up and applauding after the first assault in 94 years of Oscar history. Moral cowardice,’ he said.  

Several Hollywood celebrities denounced Smith’s actions.

Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram and Twitter his condemnation of Smith’s behavior.

‘I’m sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer Show,’ he said. 

Comedian and director Judd Apatow called the display ‘pure out of control rage and violence’, claiming that Smith ‘could have killed’ Rock. 

He wrote: ‘Seems like Will Smith’s plan to get comedian and the world to not make jokes about him is not going to pan out. 

‘The Williams family must be furious. Pure narcissism.’

Actor and filmmaker Rob Reiner tweeted: ‘Will Smith owes Chris Rock a huge apology. There is no excuse for what he did. 

‘He’s lucky Chris is not filing assault charges. The excuses he made tonight were bulls**t’. 

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill dubbed it the ‘ugliest Oscar moment ever’. 

He added: ‘Stand-up comics are very adept at handling hecklers. Violent physical assault… not so much.’ 

Smith in the early hours of Monday declared ‘you can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore nowhere’ as he doubled down on his extraordinary decision to storm on to stage.

It was shared with a picture of him and his wife before the ceremony and was referring to his own birthplace of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his wife’s of Baltimore, Maryland. 

Rock, who has not been seen since the attack, has been offered a ‘package of after care’ including a counsellor if he needs one, an insider said. 

The comedian has told the Los Angeles Police Department that he does not want to press charges. 

Others supported Smith for defending his wife.

‘That’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you,’ comedian Tiffany Haddish told People magazine.

As he accepted the best actor trophy, Smith apologized to the academy and fellow nominees, but not to Rock, and said he hoped he would be invited back to the Oscars.

It is rare but not unprecedented for the film academy to revoke membership. 

Producer Harvey Weinstein was expelled in 2017 after more than three dozen women accused him of sexual assault. Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski were kicked out in 2018.

Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman in 2004, though a judge later overturned the conviction.

Polanski admitted to having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Oscars producers had been hoping for a memorable night on Sunday to rebound from record-low ratings last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. They brought in three hosts, opened the show with Beyonce and tried to keep the show moving by editing some acceptance speeches.

But it was Smith’s outburst that became the most talked-about moment of the night, with pictures and video ricocheting across social media.

Television viewership did jump sharply from last year, to an average of 15.36 million people, according to preliminary estimates. That represented a 56 percent boost from 2021.

Feel-good movie ‘CODA’ won the best picture prize, marking a turning point in Hollywood because the film was streamed by Apple TV+ rather than heading exclusively to theaters.

The New York Times, citing two anonymous industry officials, said there were serious discussions about removing Smith from the Dolby Theatre after his attack on Rock.

But time was short, because the best actor award was fast approaching, one of the sources told the newspaper, and stakeholders had varying opinions on how to proceed.