The aftermath of the infamous slap at the Oscars 2022 continues to unfold, with Will Smith finally issuing a formal public apology to Chris Rock after slapping him on live television. The 94th Academy Awards were marred by controversy after Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock for a joke at the expense of his wife. The moment dominated coverage of the Oscars ceremony for weeks afterwards, with there even initially being calls for Smith to lose his Oscar for slapping Rock.
While on stage to present the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, Chris Rock improvised a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith being bald, which is a result of her alopecia diagnosis. Smith could initially be seen laughing awkwardly, but quickly rushed on stage to challenge Rock's behavior. He physically assaulted Rock on live television, and then unleashed an explicit and emotionally-charged tirade at the comedian after returning to his seat. The international coverage of the event saw Smith's actions prove divisive, with the actor deciding to resign from the Academy in light of his actions.
Since the now-infamous incident, much has been said by many of those who were present. However, both Smith and Rock initially remained somewhat tight-lipped, allowing time to pass before outright addressing the slap. Responses to the Oscars slap have been largely mixed, but Smith has since admitted his guilt and offered multiple public apologies for his behavior. Rock has also addressed being slapped at the Oscars, joking about the incident during stand-up shows, and offering his own opinion on the controversy.
Will Smith's First Apology To Chris Rock
Smith's first apology to Chris Rock came almost 24 hours after the heated moment. In a written statement posted to Instagram, Will Smith described his "behavior at [the] Academy Awards [as] unacceptable and inexcusable" and that he "reacted emotionally" to a joke about his wife's medical condition. In offering his apology to Rock, Smith went on to describe his actions as "out of line" and "wrong". Despite the massive controversy caused by the biggest shock of the Oscars 2022, Smith reacted in a timely fashion to offer an immediate public apology for his actions. The debate regarding how appropriate the slap was in reaction to Rock's comments was still raging at the time Smith issued his first apology, with the actor acknowledging that escalating the situation to violence was a poor choice.
Chris Rock's First Comment On Being Slapped By Will Smith
Shortly after Smith's first public apology, Chris Rock commented on the incident. Performing at a previously scheduled comedy show in Boston just a few days after the Oscars, Rock started the show by addressing the incident, explaining that he didn't "have a bunch of s**t about what happened", and that he'd be performing a show he wrote before the incident. Rock added that he was "still kind of processing what happened", but that "at some point [he'd] talk about [it]". As the slap overshadowed the triumphs of the Oscars 2022, Rock's reluctance to openly address the incident so soon after it occurred actually came off as a tasteful way of distancing himself from the immediate controversy. Though he didn't announce this stance to the world via social media, he simply made it known that he wasn't ready to talk about it at that stage and continued with his career as planned.
How Chris Rock Later Addressed Will Smith's Oscars Slap
Since the backlash to the incident has calmed, Rock has begun to address it more openly. Again, he has done so during a stand-up show, making jokes about the incident and referring to Will Smith as "Suge Smith". Rock joked that "anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face", later adding "I'm not a victim, motherf--er", and "yeah, that s**t hurt. But I shook [it] off and went to work the next day. I don't go to the hospital for a papercut." What happened to Chris Rock at the Oscars essentially amounted to public humiliation for the comedian - leaving a period of months before joking about it dismissively appears to indicate that Rock wishes to leave it in the past.
Will Smith's Full, 5-Minute Apology To Chris Rock
Will Smith has since issued a full 5-minute apology to Rock via his YouTube channel, answering a number of questions regarding the incident. In the video, Smith acknowledges his guilt and remorse over the incident, and reiterates that he will wait to apologize personally to Rock whenever the comedian deems it appropriate. Smith used the video as an opportunity to apologize to others affected by the slap, including Chris Rock's family and other Academy Award nominees, to who he apologizes for having "stolen and tarnished [their] moment".
As a result of the 2022 Oscars slap, Will Smith is banned from the Oscars for 10 years, in addition to having resigned from the Academy himself. Despite winning his first Oscar for Best Actor, his career and public image have been damaged by the Oscars, with multiple upcoming movies placed on hold in the aftermath of the slap. Though both Will Smith and Chris Rock have handled the aftermath with a certain amount of decorum, the moment continues to live on in infamy as one of the Oscars' most shocking moments.