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Hollywood star Will Smith has once again apologised to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him at the 2022 Oscars.
In a video posted on Friday (Jul. 29), Smith broke his silence on the Oscars slap and answered some questions from fans.
The video, which is nearly six minutes long, has already received over 1.5 million views on Smith's YouTube channel as of Saturday (July 30) morning.
Apologised to Chris Rock and his family
Smith addressed why he did not apologise to Rock in his acceptance speech upon winning his Oscar.
"I was fogged out by that point. It's all fuzzy," he explained.
Smith said that he has since "reached out" to Rock, but Rock has said that he was "not ready to talk."
"Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable. And I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," Smith said.
Smith also apologised to Rock's mother, Rosalie, and his brother Tony, whom Smith had worked with in the 2007 sitcom "All of Us".
"That was one of the things about that moment. I just didn't realise... I wasn't thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologise to Chris' mother. I want to apologise to Chris' family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable.
I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment. And I'm not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you that there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There is no part of me that thinks that's the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult."
"Jada had nothing to do with it"
In the video, Smith also clarified that his wife Jada Pinkett Smith did not ask him to do anything after Rock made the joke about her autoimmune disorder.
"I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it," Smith explained.
He then apologised to his wife, children, and family for "the heat that [he] brought on [them]".
Smith also apologised to his fellow nominees at the Oscars ceremony, saying:
"You know, this is a community, it's like I won because you voted for me. It really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment."
"I'm deeply remorseful"
When asked about what he would say to those who had previously looked up to him before the slap, Smith said: "Disappointing people is my central trauma."
He added:
"I hate when I let people down. So it hurts. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to people's image and impression of me. And the work I'm trying to do is... I am deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. Right? I'm human and I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of sh*t.
So I would say to those people... I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking. But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world and if you hang on, I promise we'll be able to be friends again."
Banned from Oscars for 10 years
Following the incident on stage, the Oscars banned Smith from the Oscars gala and other Academy events for the next 10 years.
The Academy said that the 94th Oscars had been "overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behaviour we saw Mr Smith exhibit on stage."
Smith had already resigned from the Academy before the ban was announced. This means that he will be unable to vote on future Oscars.
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Top images via Will Smith/YouTube & DiscussingFilm/Twitter.