Will Smith apologises to Chris Rock for that slap

If Shane Warne once famously spun the Ball of the Century, the Slap of this Century has already been secured by Will Smith on Chris Rock at yesterday’s Oscars. 

After finding offence at the comedian’s tepid joke about his wife Jada Pinkett’s hair loss, Smith stormed the stage and smacked Rock across the cheek. “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth,” he then screamed several times at a clearly bemused Rock.

One slap and the infamous La La Land/Moonlight mixup of 2016 was no longer the craziest moment in Oscars history. That’s all it took.

Not long after, Smith was on stage again, this time to receive the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance as Richard Williams in King Richard. There had been murmurings that Smith may be asked to hand back the award following his onstage assault of Rock, due to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences strict code of conduct guidelines.

However, the actor has now taken to social media in a bid to decrease the damage done by the incident. “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “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.

Smith then offered an apology to Rock and others. “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,” he added before signing off.

Rock hasn’t yet responded to Smith’s public apology, although the comedian did refuse to press charges over the incident.

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