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Four months after “The Slap,” Will Smith issued a social media apology to Chris Rock. He started off by saying that while he’d reached out to Chris, the comedian isn’t ready to talk to him and will reach out when he is. He also apologized to Chris’ mom and the rest of his family, specifically Tony Rock, with whom he had a great relationship prior to the incident.
The Oscar winner said he’s spent the last three months going over the moment and trying to figure out the nuances that caused it. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults,” he said. He also apologized to his family and made it a point to say that Jada Pinkett-Smith did NOT have anything to do with the decision he made. He went on to apologize to his fellow nominees for taking the spotlight off what should have been the biggest night of their lives.
One of the most painful things about the incident for Will was letting people down. He says he’s been working on being remorseful without being ashamed because he’s human. He ended with, “If you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
- Chris, for the most part, hasn’t directly responded to Will’s apology. What he DID do was incorporate the situation into his act. “Everybody is trying to be a f—ing victim,” he said during a gig at Atlanta’s Fox Theater Friday night. “If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith … I went to work the next day, I got kids. Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”