Will Smith has spoken up about his Oscars slap-fight with Chris Rock. As part of his acceptance speech for the Best Actor Oscar, the actor released an almost six-minute YouTube video in which he talks about his role in The Slap and why he first chose not to discuss it. Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, comparing her to G.I. Jane while presenting at the Oscars.
There’s an underlying medical problem that causes her to lose her hair, and Will Smith replied by storming the stage, slapping Rock, and screaming, “Keep my wife’s name out of your lips!” In a YouTube video, Smith says he was “fogged out” by the time he got to the point where he couldn’t address the issue in his acceptance speech. He describes the scene as “fuzzy.” “I tried to reach out to Chris, but he claimed he wasn’t ready to chat and that he would get back to me as soon as he was ready.”
After apologising for his actions, Smith says he’s willing to talk about the situation with Rock whenever he’s ready to do so. While Smith apologises to Rock’s mother for hurting so many people, he admits he didn’t realise how affected Rock’s brother Tony was as a result of the incident. Smith concludes, “This is probably irreversible.” “Three months ago, I spent a lot of time thinking about and repeating that moment, and I am not going to attempt to unpack all of that right now, but I can tell you that there’s no part of me that believes it was the correct thing to do.
In no way, shape, or form do I believe that’s the best course of action to take in the event of being treated with contempt or insults.” Smith personally apologised to Roots drummer Questlove for the Slap, which occurred the day before he won the Oscar for Best Documentary. In the video, he adds, “I’m sorry isn’t really sufficient,” which I agree with.
Rock went on a stand-up tour shortly after the event, but he did not discuss it. He admitted that he was still absorbing what had occurred. “So, that garbage will be brought up at some time. It’ll be both serious and hilarious, I promise.”
Later, he did talk about it: “Anyone who claims that words hurt is a liar. I don’t believe in being a victim. Motherfucker, that shit was brutal. However, the following day, I shrugged it off and reported to work as usual. A paper cut doesn’t warrant a trip to the ER.” Smith has also been barred from the Oscars for ten years after apologising to people who voted for him to win the Best Actor Oscar.