Will Smith broke his three-month silence on Friday, July 29 by sharing a video on Instagram. The last time Smith posted anything on Instagram, he issued a statement following the Oscars slap heard around the world.
If you need a refresher, Smith made global headlines after he slapped Chris Rock in the face while Rock was presenting an award at the Oscars. Smith slapped Rock after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Will Smith Breaks His Three-Month Silence: ‘I’m Sorry Really Isn’t Sufficient’
As Jada has already explained, she suffers from alopecia. Both Jada and Will were less than pleased with the joke, but as Will clarified in his video, Jada never asked Will to react with physical violence.
In his video, Will apologized to several people, including Chris, Chris’s mother, and brother, his own family, Questlove—who won the Oscar Chris was presenting, and the fellow Oscar nominees who voted for him to win his first Oscar.
You can watch Smith’s full video here:
Will shared that he has since reached out to Chris to talk one-on-one but revealed that hasn’t happened yet. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. And when he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you.”
“My behavior was unacceptable,” Smith continued. “And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Will also answered the ever-present question, why didn’t he immediately apologize to Chris during his acceptance speech at the Oscars? “I was fogged out by that point,” Smith explained. “It’s all fuzzy.”
He added that at that moment, he didn’t think about how many people his actions would hurt. “When talking about, that was one of those things about that moment, I didn’t realize, I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment.”
And when addressing Chris’s brother, Tony, Will admitted that he and Tony “had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable.” Smith additionally apologized to his own family, saying he’s sorry for the scrutiny he brought on them through his inconceivable actions.
“I can say to all of you there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith continued, saying, “Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down. So it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me.”
“The work I’m trying to do is — I am deeply remorseful — and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. Right? I’m human, and I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of sh*t.”
He concluded the video by saying he knows how “confusing” and “shocking” his actions were but he is “deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. If you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
RELATED: Chris Rock Stood Center Stage in NYC and Started Making Jokes About Will Smith: ‘I’m Not the Victim’
Thousands of people have already watched and commented on Will Smith’s post. Most notably was the comment from Kevin Hart, who shared a series of heart and praying hand emojis.
As Mamas Uncut reported earlier this week, Hart and Rock shared the stage last weekend at a joint comedy show where Smith was the butt of a few jokes. Hart even gifted Rock a goat that he named Will Smith.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.