Will Smith apologized to comedian Chris Rock in an Instagram post Monday night for his behavior at Sunday night’s Oscars, where he slapped him onstage for a joke about the Oscar winner’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith .
“My conduct at the Oscars last night was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Mr. Smith wrote. “Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s health was too much for me and I reacted emotionally.”
“I want to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I’m embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”
In rehearsals for the awards show, Mr. Rock didn’t tell the joke that caused Mr. Smith to hit the comedian, according to people close to the production.
Mr. Rock’s joke, a riff about Ms. Pinkett Smith’s short hair, wasn’t on the teleprompter for the show either, they said.
The 94th Academy Awards came to an abrupt end when actor Will Smith took the stage and punched comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s short hair. Smith later won Best Actor, while Apple’s “CODA” took Best Picture. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters
Ms Pinkett Smith has said on social media that she has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Representatives from Mr. Rock did not respond to a request for comment.
Later that evening, Mr. Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the drama King Richard, a biopic about Richard Williams, father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
Mr. Smith also apologized to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars; the producers of the show and its participants and viewers; the Williams family; and “my King Richard Family”.
The academy announced a formal investigation into the incident early Monday and condemned Mr. Smith’s actions. The group also shared organizational rules that show they have the power to retrospectively revoke an Oscar.
The Academy’s standards of conduct state that the organization may take disciplinary action, including the revocation of awards. The Academy may also take less drastic action, including private or public reprimand and temporary or permanent loss of eligibility for future Oscars.
Chris Rock backstage at the Academy Awards.
Photo: AMPAS/via REUTERS
Mr Rock declined to file a police report against Mr Smith, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which released a statement saying it was aware of “an incident between two people” at the Oscars. “In the incident, one person hit another,” the statement said.
After the ceremony, which drew more than 15 million viewers, Mr. Smith continued in the manner of a normal Oscar winner. He posed for photos smiling with children Willow, Jaden and Trey Smith alongside Ms. Pinkett Smith. Ms. Pinkett Smith donned a sparkling champagne-colored gown. The family snuggled up close for an intimate photo portrait at Vanity Fair’s Oscars party.
During his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy but not to Mr. Rock.
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This wasn’t the first time Mr. Rock had enjoyed himself at the couple’s expense. When the comedian hosted the 2016 Academy Awards, he also cracked jokes about the couple, including asking about Mr. Smith’s high salary.
Mr. Smith’s family seemed to close ranks around him. His son, Jaden Smith, tweeted: “And that’s how we do it.”
Some of the loudest critics of Mr. Smith’s slap were comedy professionals including filmmaker Judd Apatow, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan and comedy personality Kathy Griffin.
At the ceremony, Mr. Smith appeared to be comforted by other celebrities in the room, including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry. Tributes to him followed after the show, such as this one from rapper Nicki Minaj, who said it was Mr. Smith right to defend his wife. “This is what every real man feels right now,” she wrote on Twitter. “While you all see the joke, he sees her pain.”
A video posted to social media from the Vanity Fair afterparty showed Mr. Smith clutching his Oscar, dancing and rapping to his hit song “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” He was surrounded on three sides by guests holding up their phones to capture the moment as they danced with him.
Ahead of the show, Mr. Smith posted on his Instagram pictures of himself and Ms. Pinkett Smith in joking poses with the caption, “Me ‘n @jadapinkettsmith all dressed up to vote for chaos.” Mr. Smith later commented on the post : “You can’t invite people from Philly or Baltimore anywhere!!”
Will Packer, executive producer of the Oscar show, also made a joke about the incident when he tweeted“Welp…I said it wasn’t boring #Oscars.”
—Omar Abdel-Baqui contributed to this article.
Write to Ellen Gamerman at [email protected] and Joe Flint at [email protected]
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