Will Smith Apologizes After Smacking Chris Rock Over Joke At The Oscars
Keneci Channel
Smith, 53, shocked the audience of the Academy Awards Sunday night, when he walked up to host Rock and smacked him in the face.
The 57-year-old comedian joked about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett, 50, being bald. The actress suffers from alopecia which apparently Rock didn't know about?
“Jada, I love you, ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” the comic quipped as he addressed the couple.
Smith initially smiled, but his wife immediately rolled her eyes after hearing the joke. This apparently prompted the actor to walk up to the stage and strike Rock across the cheek.
Shocked, Rock kept his cool, saying, “Wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me” before pointing out that it was “just a ‘G.I. Jane’ joke.”
But Smith repeatedly shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth” as he exited the stage and returned to his seat.
“That was the greatest night in the history of television,” Rock stated, as he attempted to continue the night's proceeding.
Smith later returned to the stage, this time to accept his award. He took home his first ever Academy Award, Best Actor for his role in King Richard, playing Richard Williams -- father and tennis mentor to Venus and Serena Williams.
Smith emotionally addressed his confrontation with Rock, noting that Richard Williams was also fiercely protective of his family. “I want to be a vessel for love,” he said.
“I want to apologize to all of my fellow nominees," Smith said through tears. "This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me; it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people. Art imitates life; I looked like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.”
The actor then thanked the Academy: “Thank you for this honor. Thank you for this moment. … Thank you. I’m hoping the Academy invites me back.”
Smith notably did not mention Rock's name or apologize to him. He was later seen at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash with his family dancing the night away, clearly unfazed by the drama.
However rapper and music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs later confirmed at the Vanity Fair bash that Smith and Rock have made amends.
“That’s not a problem," Diddy, 52 reportedly said. "That’s over. I can confirm that." He added, "It’s all love. They’re brothers.”
Smith later apologized to Rock in a statement posted on Instagram Monday.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” the Best Actor winner wrote. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards is unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about my Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”