Will Smith, Best Actor and also worst moment at the Oscars this year, publicly apologized to comedian Chris Rock for having struck him live on camera. "Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," the 53-year-old actor wrote in an Instagram post, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong." He also, however, made it clear that some subjects are off-limits for humour - Will slapped Chris, who was presenting an Oscar, after the comedian joked about Will's wife Jada's hair.
Jada Pinkett suffers from alopecia, which causes hair loss - she revealed in 2018 that she struggles with the condition and wears her hair shorn almost to the scalp. It's unclear if Chris Rock was aware of Jada's medical condition; on stage at the Oscars, he quipped, "Jada, can't wait for GI Jane 2," a reference to the 90s Demi Moore film in which she plays a Navy SEAL and wears her hair cropped. The joke triggered Will Smith into slapping Chris Rock and then yelling, "Keep my wife's name out of your f*****g mouth."
Later, in his Instagram post, Will Smith made it clear that while he was fair game, Jada's alopecia was not. He wrote: "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."
Read Will Smith's post here:
After slapping Chris Rock, Will Smith returned to his seat and yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f*****g mouth." Later, while receiving the Best Actor trophy, Will Smith apologised to the Academy and its nominees in an emotional speech. "I want to apologise to the academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees... Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things." He also revealed what fellow Best Actor nominee Denzel Washington said to him in the previous commercial break: "Thank you Denzel, who said to me a few minutes ago... he said, 'at your highest moment, be careful, that's when the devil comes for you.'"
Public opinion has mostly condemned Will Smith's assault; some, like actress Sophia Bush, however, have also called out Chris Rock for mocking a medical condition. The comedian declined to press charges against Will Smith, the Los Angeles Police Department said later.
Will Smith won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard minutes after the slap. He delivered a tearful speech in which he apologized to the Academy and fellow nominees but not to Chris Rock by name - which he redressed in his post. "Love will make you do crazy things," he said.
He also said he hoped to be invited back to the Oscars - the Academy, which said it doesn't "condone violence of any form" in a tweet, is said to be deliberating on action, if any, to be taken against Will Smith.