Will Smith shares 6-minute video apologizing to Chris Rock for slapping him during Oscars

Actor Will Smith has released a video apologizing to Chris Rock for his actions at the Oscars, in which Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock during a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith uploaded the video to his Instagram page with the intention of answering the questions which have cropped up since The Oscars.

“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 that I wanted to take some time to answer,” Smith said.

The first question put to Smith was, “Why didn’t you apologize to Chris in your acceptance speech?” Smith answered by saying that when he took to the stage to accept his award for his part in King Richard, Smith said he was  “fogged out by that point” and also said that everything felt “fuzzy.”

Smith repeated that his behaviour was “unacceptable,” and that he has reached out to Chris Rock, who Smith said is not willing to speak to him at this stage. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out.”

Smith used this opportunity to apologise to Chris Rock’s mother, along with this family, including Tony Rock, who had a starring role in the sitcom “All of Us,” which was created by Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith spoke warmly about the time he spent with Rock. “We had a great relationship. “Tony Rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.”

Smith was also asked if his wife, who was sitting next to him at the time, asked him to take action regarding Rock’s joke about her hair. Smith said that this was not the case.

Smith concluded by saying he was upset to have ruined any relationships with his fans and the image they had of him. “Disappointing people is my central trauma,” Smith said. “I hate when I let people down so it hurts.”

Smith ended his video on a positive note by saying he would direct his energy “to putting light and love and joy into the world.” He added, “If you hang on I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”