Will Smith's apology
Following Sunday night's Oscars altercation, Will Smith has issued a publicly apology to Chris Rock and The Academy.
He admitted he was, 'out of line,' and said he's, 'embarrassed,' by his behaviour.
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The King Richard actor released his apology in the form of a statement on social media.
He began, 'Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive.'
'My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.'
Will continued, '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.'
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star wrote, '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.'
Will added, '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.'
The actor began to wrap up, '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,' Will concluded.
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What happened?
It all kicked off while Chris was on stage presenting the Best Documentary Feature category at Sunday night's Oscars.
Everyone was laughing, until he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's buzzcut.
He said, "Jada, I love ya! Can’t wait for GI Jane 2."
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In case you missed the reference, Demi Moore's character in GI Jane donned a buzzcut.
Just last year, Jada opened up about her struggles with alopecia.
So as you can imagine, Chris' joked didn't go down well with her and her husband Will.
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It wasn't long before Will found himself storming towards Chris on stage.
He slapped him right across the face before returning to his seat in the audience.
Chris was in complete and utter shock: "Oh, wow!"
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"Will Smith just smacked the sh*t out of me," he told the star-studded crowd.
From the audience, a very angry Will yelled, "Keep my wife's name out your fu**ing mouth!"
"Wow dude! It was a GI Jane joke," Chris responded.
Will continued, "Keep my wife's name out your fu**ing mouth!"
"I'm going to, okay?" The comedian said in response.
Watch the full moment here:
Will wins an Oscar
Will later apologised to the Academy while accepting the award for Best Actor.
As quoted by E! News, he said, "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologise to all of my fellow nominees..."
"Love will make you do crazy things. I'm hoping that the Academy invites me back."
The Academy also issued a statement on Twitter: '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.'
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.
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 28, 2022
Chris has yet to comment publicly.
