Will Smith quickly went viral after his appearance at the Oscars on Sunday night, where he walked up to comedian Chris Rock and slapped him in front of a huge audience on live television.
Chris made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, which didn’t sit right with the Fresh Prince star.
The Academy released a statement earlier advising that they do not condone violence at all and it has been revealed that Chris Rock is not pressing charges.
After a long day of new memes surfacing and letting everyone mull over the events from Sunday night, Will Smith released a statement apologizing for his actions.
Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for slapping him at the Oscars
Will Smith shared a message on his Instagram account regarding his actions at last night’s award ceremony.
He wrote, “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.”
Jada suffers from Alopecia, which causes major hair loss. She has been open about her journey of struggling with Alopecia and shaving her hair before it all fell out. However, Chris Rock either missed the memo or didn’t care when he decided to make a joke about her. However, Will apologized to Chris for hitting him.
Will wrote to Chris, “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.”
Although many of his wrongs were set right, Will wasn’t done apologizing after he apologized to Chris.
Will Smith apologizes to The Academy, producers, and viewers for his outburst at the Oscars
In the second part of the post, Will apologized to everyone else who had to witness his moment of weakness at the ceremony.
“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,” he continued.
Shortly after he slapped Chris, Will was awarded best actor for his role as Richard Williams in the film King Richard. He advised that he felt he had a lot in common with the patriarchal figure and would do anything for the people he loves.
He closed the post with an acknowledgment about himself, writing, “I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”
Despite the presence of ever-flowing memes and internet reactions, it looks like Will is ready to put his moment of weakness behind him and keep moving forward.