A throwback of Chris Rock, Will Smith and Jada. (Image courtesy: Getty)
Highlights
- Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the Oscars
- Chris Rock joked about Will Smith's wife Jada
- Will Smith's apology to Chris Rock came only a day later
After Will Smith and Chris Rock's unpleasant exchange at the Oscars and the Academy Award winning actor's apology to the comedian, rapper Diddy (Sean Combs) "confirmed" at the Vanity Fair Oscars bash that the problem between the two stars is "over." During an interaction with PageSix, the rapper said this while referring to the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident: "That's not a problem. That's over. I can confirm that." The 52-year-old rapper added, "It's all love. They're brothers." At the 94th Academy Awards, Chris Rock appeared on the stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature, where he made a joke about Will Smith's wife and actor Jada Pinkett Smith being in "G.I. Jane" because of her shaved head, which triggered the The Pursuit Of Happyness actor, who hit Chris Rock and returned to his seat and yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f*****g mouth." Later, while receiving the Best Actor trophy, Will Smith apologised to the Academy and its nominees.
Will Smith, however, apologised to Chris Rock in an Instagram post, where he said that he is "embarrassed" about what he did and an excerpt from his post read, "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."
He added in his statement, "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. 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."
Read Will Smith's apology here:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have started a "formal review" of the situation. "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law," a statement from the Academy said, news agency AFP reported. On Monday, a brief tweet shared after the Oscars from the Academy's handle said it does not "condone violence of any form."
On Monday, the Academy tweeted a brief statement saying it doesn't "condone violence of any form." Meanwhile, Chris Rock has declined to file a police report, the Los Angeles Police Department said.