Will Smith issued an apology on Monday for striking presenter Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards on Sunday evening. Smith referred to his behavior as “unacceptable and inexcusable” in the Instagram post.
Smith slapped the comedian after a joke he made about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head.
“Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said the day after winning an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Venus and Serena’s father Richard Williams. “My behavior at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.”
He added, “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.”
Rock began presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature when he made a joke directed at Pinkett saying, “G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it,” referencing her shaved head.
Jada Pinkett Smith went public with her hair loss condition called alopecia last year after her daughter, Willow, encouraged her to shave her head. The star has been struggling with the condition since 2018.
Will Smith also apologized to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” and he apologized to the Williams family.
“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he wrote. “I am a work in progress.”
