Ouch. Chris Rock just responded to Will Smith’s apology. The former Saturday Night Live star took to his comedy set on July 29, 2022, to talk about how he felt about the King Richard star’s video.
According to CNN, Chris subtly shaded Smith in his comedy set. “Everybody is trying to be a f*cking victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims,” Chris said during his set, “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.”
Will released the video on July 29, 2022, as a further public apology to Chris. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” he said in the video. “So I will I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable.“I want to apologize to Chris’s mother,” he continued. “I saw an interview that Chris’s mother did. And that was one of the things about that moment I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I want to apologize to Chris’s family. Specifically Tony Rock We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable.” He continued, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the complexities and nuances of what happened. I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now but I can say to you, there was no part of me that thought that was the right way to behave in that moment.”
The Oscar slap took place four months ago at the Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, after Chris made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett-Smith. The Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences banned Smith from future events for the next ten years. In an open letter, the Academy announced, “The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.” The Academy apologized to Rock, the rest of the Academy and the public for the moment: “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.” Smith accepted the ban as he previously resigned from The Academy on April 1, 2022.
Image: Penguin Press.
For more about Will Smith, read his memoir, Will. The book, which was number one on The New York Times bestseller list, takes readers through Smith’s life, from his childhood in West Philadelphia and early rap career to his rise as one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. The autobiography—which Oprah Winfrey described as “the best memoir I’ve ever read”—also explores a side of Smith’s life he’s never told before. “Will is the story of how one person mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same,” the publisher’s description of the book reads. “Few of us will know the pressure of performing on the world’s biggest stages for the highest of stakes, but we can all understand that the fuel that works for one stage of our journey might have to be changed if we want to make it all the way home.”
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