Actor Will Smith has released an official statement apologizing for taking the stage and slapping Chris Rock during last night’s Academy Awards.
Smith took offense to one of Rock’s jokes about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss due to alopecia. The 53-year-old performer interrupted Rock’s comments and smacked him across the face, stunning the audience at the Dolby Theatre and the millions watching at home.
Smith could later be seen and heard telling Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your f—–g mouth.”
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith 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.
“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.”
Smith also apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, producers, fans and the Williams and King Richard families. He closed by calling himself “a work in progress.”
Incredibly, a short time after the incident with Rock, Smith was summoned to the stage again to accept the award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard in King Richard.
Depending on how the Academy’s review of the altercation, Smith could be asked to relinquish his award, though some type of sanction is reportedly more likely.
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