Will Smith went to social media on Friday and expressed remorse for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars earlier this year, TMZ reports. Answering questions on camera, Smith said he didn’t apologize to the comedian in his acceptance speech because he was “fogged out by that point.”
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“It’s all fuzzy,” the actor said in the video posted to Instagram. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he’ll reach out. I will say to you Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Smith, who also apologized to Rock’s mother and brother specifically, said he didn’t realize how many people would be hurt by his actions.
“I want to apologize to Chris’ mother,” he said. “I want to apologize to his family, specifically Tony Rock. You know, we had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.”
Speaking to his fans, Smith said, “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.”
“There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult,” he added.
While some fans at the time assumed that Jada Pinkett Smith encouraged the actor to take action after Rock made an offensive comment, Smith is now saying that he made the choice on his own.
“It’s like you know I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” he said. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry babe. … Sorry to my kids and my family for the heat I brought on all of us. ‘I’m sorry’ really isn’t sufficient.”
To the fans who looked up to him before the incident, Smith said it hurts him “psychologically and emotionally” to know that he “didn’t live up to people’s image and impression” of him.
“I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself,” he said. “I’m human. And I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t, so I would say to those people, I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking. But I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world.”
The actor encouraged his fans to “hang on.”
“I promise we’ll be able to be friends again,” he said.
