Hollywood actor Will Smith, who slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, has apologized for the incident in a long video statement that he shared on his Instagram page.

The Oscar-winning actor also revealed that he had reached out to Chris Rock but the comedian was not willing to talk. The video began with the text, “It's been a minute... Over the last few months, I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work. You asked a lot of fair questions and I wanted to take some time to answer.”

Will said in the video, “Why didn't you apologise to Chris in your acceptance speech? I was fogged out by that point. It was all fuzzy. I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he is not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris. I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk.”

The actor, who realized that he had hurt several people including Chris Rock’s mother, spoke about his journey in the last three months. “This is probably irreplaceable. I spent last 3 months replaying and understanding the nuances and complexities of what happened in that moment and I will not unpack all that right now. I can say that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave at that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that that is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults,” he added.

Will Smith had walked up the stage at the Oscars ceremony held in March this year, moments before he won the award for Best Actor, and slapped Chris Rock across the face after the latter made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith's hair condition.
 

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