Will Smith Posts Apology Video for Oscars Slap, Says Chris Rock Is ‘Not Ready’ to Speak With Him

Will Smith apologizes to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast, saying in an online video that his behavior was “unacceptable.” Smith says he reached out to the comedian about the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready to talk.

“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. and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

After Jada Pinkett-Smith rolled her eyes at Chris Rock’s bald head joke, did she tell Will to act out? “No,” Smith says. “I made a choice on my own from my own experiences. From my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe.”

What would Will Smith say to the fans who once looked up to him before the slap? “Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down. It hurts me psychologically to know I didn’t live up to people’s image of me.”