It has been months since we have visually seen Will Smith since his big Oscar win. As we all remember, before that moment, Will walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock in defense of his wife. Will released a written apology to Chris, his fans, and the Academy shortly after the award show. Now, Will has sat down to speak about the moment on camera for the first time.
In an almost six-minute video titled “It’s Been A While,” Will answered some questions about the infamous night while remaining apologetic for his actions.
At the beginning of the video, a message from Will appeared on the screen and read,
“It’s been a minute…over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of pf thinking and personal work. You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take the time to answer.”
The first question Will answered, asked why he had not apologized to Chris Rock during his acceptance speech. Will responded and said,
“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy. I reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you Chris, I apologize to you, my behavior was unacceptable and I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”
Will also extended an apology to Chris’ mother and brother Tony Rock. As we previously reported, during an interview with South Carolina’s WISTV, Chris’ mother Rose Rock said, “When Will slapped Chris, he slapped all of us, but he really slapped me. When you hurt my child, you hurt me.”
While reflecting on the controversial Oscars moment, Will continued,
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
He also addressed the speculations that Jada played a role in how he reacted that night and he said, “I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences. From my history with Chris, Jada had nothing to do with it.”
Will proceeded to apologize to Jada, their family, and this year’s Oscar nominees. Will also shared that letting other people down is a trauma of his, and how hurtful it has been to know that he has disappointed others.
Check out Will Smith’s full video below:
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
