Will Smith publicly apologizes for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

Europe 1 with AFP 07:13, March 29, 2022

American actor Will Smith issued a public apology on Monday to comedian Chris Rock, whom he had slapped on the Oscars stage the day before after a joke about his wife.

It was a joke by Chris Rock about the shaved head of Jada Pinkett Smith, suffering from alopecia – a disease causing significant hair loss, which she revealed to suffer from a few years ago – which had triggered the scandal.

"What I did was misplaced and I was wrong"

Will Smith suddenly took the stage and slapped Chris Rock under the dumbfounded eyes of celebrities and viewers.

The 53-year-old actor yelled at her, "Leave my wife's name out of your fucking mouth!"

back in his chair.

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. What I did was inappropriate and I was wrong," Will Smith wrote on his Instagram account on Monday.

"My behavior last night at the Oscars was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but one joke about Jada's health issue was too much for me and I reacted emotionally," he said. he explained, explicitly rejecting "all violence".

He also apologized to the organizers and all those who witnessed the scene.

Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars.

The Academy of Oscars had opened an investigation

This apology from Will Smith comes shortly after the Academy of Oscars announced the opening of an internal investigation into this incident.

"The Academy condemns the actions of Will Smith during last night's show," the organization wrote in a statement sent to AFP.

“We have officially started an investigation”, specifies the Academy of Arts and Sciences of the cinema, which will examine the follow-up to be given to the case with regard to its “regulations and Californian law”.

What is the risk of the actor, crowned "best actor" shortly after the incident for his role in

, which traces the sporting debut of the sisters Serena and Venus Williams?

Some have called on the Academy of Oscars to withdraw her award, but actress Whoopi Goldberg, one of the Academy's administrators, said that would not be the case.

"There will be consequences, I'm sure, but I don't think that's what they're going to do, especially because Chris" Rock said he wouldn't press charges, she said. said on television.

On the criminal level either, no prosecution seems possible at this stage for lack of a complaint from Chris Rock, the Los Angeles police had indicated on Sunday evening.

Will Smith would therefore only expose himself to disciplinary sanctions, which can range according to the code of conduct of the Academy from a simple reprimand to expulsion.

A rain of condemnations on social networks

The first punishment inflicted on the actor came from social networks, where many denounced the violence he showed.

The strongest condemnation came from American actor and director Judd Apatow in a tweet which he later deleted but which comedian Mia Farrow took up: Will Smith "could have killed him. He just lost control of his anger and his violence (...). He lost his mind."

The star player of the San Francisco Golden State Warriors, basketball player Stephen Curry, said he was "still in shock, like everyone else".

For British writer Bernardine Evaristo, whose father is Nigerian, Will Smith missed an opportunity to set an example, especially for African-Americans: while he is "only the fifth black in nearly 100 years to win an Oscar for a title role and the first in 16 years, (he) resorts to violence instead of using the power of words to defeat Chris Rock", she denounced on Twitter.

"And then he invokes God and the love that would have made him do this," she further castigated.

Some celebrities defended the actor's gesture

Richard Williams, father of tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams, whom Will Smith plays in his film, said through his son's voice that he "does not condone any violence against anyone", according to NBC television.

On Instagram, Will Smith also apologized to the "Williams family" and the film crew.

Some celebrities, however, have given their support to Will Smith.

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne reacted to reporters: "I think whatever he did, he had the right to do it."

The elected Democrat of Massachusetts Ayanna Pressley, also suffering from alopecia, thanked him in a tweet since deleted.

"Bravo to all the husbands who defend their wives with alopecia in the face of ignorance and everyday insults," she wrote.

Will Smith was also defended by actress Tiffany Haddish: "That's what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you," she told

magazine .