Will Smith apologizes for slapping Chris Rock at Oscars

Will Smith apologized late Monday afternoon for his actions at Sunday night’s Oscars, in which he slapped presenter Chris Rock on the main stage in response to a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Smith wrote in an Instagram post. “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 said that he “reacted emotionally” after hearing Rock’s joke.
“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.”
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Smith didn’t publicly apologize to Rock during the show, but when accepting his award for Best Actor, the actor did say he was sorry to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his speech.
“I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all of my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award,” he said.
“It’s not about winning an award for me; it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.”
The Academy also announced on Monday that they would be conducting a “formal review” to “explore consequences” after Smith’s actions.
New statement from academy:
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith … 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”
— Brooks Barnes (@brooksbarnesNYT) March 28, 2022
“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 statement read.