Will Smith ’embarrassed and hurt’ by Chris Rock jibes

The actor would like for Chris to 'let it go', according to reports

The ongoing feud between the actor and the comedian has shown no sign of letting up after Rock unleashed a no holds barred attack on the actor in his new Netflix special, Selective Outrage.

The special, which was the first of its’ kind for the streaming giant, was broadcast live on the platform to viewers across the globe, came a year after Smith slapped Rock at the Academy Awards ceremony after he made a G.I Jane joke about his wife,  Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.

Rock, 58, had been testing out material in the lead up to the performance, including one joke where he said he only watched Smith’s film Emancipation so he “could watch him getting whipped”.

Opening his performance, Rock stated: “I’m going to try to do the show without offending anyone… Because you never know who might get triggered!”

The comic said during his show that “everybody” calls the Fresh Prince star a “b****”, then continued: “Y’all know what happened to me, getting smacked by ‘Suge Smith’.”

The name is seemingly a reference to Suge Knight, the Death Row Records founder who was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2018 for manslaughter.

Now, a Smith source has spoken to Entertainment Tonight and passes on word that Will wishes that Rock was over it.

The source said that Will feels that he’s worked on himself and tried to make amends to no avail, and further, Will reportedly feels that Netflix made a “disgraceful” move by airing the special.

“Will is embarrassed and hurt by what Chris said about him and his family in his Netflix special. He didn’t watch it, but he had people tell him what Chris said … It’s everywhere when you look online and on social media, so Will and Jada have seen comments about it … Will apologized to Chris and would like for Chris to let it go.”

After the slap, Smith issued a somber apology on Instagram, saying:

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

"I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.

"I am a work in progress."

Related links:

• Chris Rock says only reason he watched Will Smith’s Emancipation was to see him get whipped
• Chris Rock slams Meghan Markle over claims royal family are racist
• Jada Pinkett Smith celebrates “Bald Is Beautiful Day’ months after Chris Rock’s Oscars joke