Will Smith breaks silence on Oscar slap of Chris Rock saying he is ‘deeply remorseful’

The actor seemingly fights back tears as he apologises for his actions

Will Smith has spoken out about slapping Chris Rock at The Oscars for the first time since the incident took place. The actor, 53, jumped on stage and assaulted Rock, 57 at the ceremony back in March, after the comedian made a joke which mocked Smith's wife's hair. Smith was hugely criticised for his actions and later banned from The Oscars ceremony for 10 years. [caption id="attachment_326580" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California (Image: Getty)[/caption] On Friday, the I Am Legend actor took to social media to share a lengthy video, in which he discusses the incident and offers an apology to Rock. He addresses why he didn't apologise to Rock when he accepted the award for best actor just minutes after the assault. “It’s all fuzzy,” Smith says. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out.” Smith apologised and branded his own behaviour “unacceptable”. Seemingly fighting back tears, he says: “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.” You can watch the full video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CgmVDHXoAw8/