Will Smith Apologizes for Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

Will Smith has apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him at the Oscars.

Early this evening (March 28), Smith posted an apology statement to his Instagram where he denounced his action of violence toward Rock at the Oscars last night. In case you somehow missed the moment at this point, Rock smacked Rock across the face after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett, and her recent struggles with alopecia.

“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith began in his statement. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. 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.”

He continued: “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. I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”

“I am a work in progress,” the actor concluded.

A whirlwind of activity followed the explosive moment last night. Numerous rappers have weighed in on the situation. Diddy reportedly confirmed that Smith and Rock had already squashed their beef this morning, but additional context to that claim has yet to surface.

Questlove, who won Best Documentary just moments after the sale, reportedly felt “odd” accepting the award directly following what had just happened.