Will Smith delivers his acceptance speech at the Oscars. Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Actor Will Smith apologized to Chris Rock and his family for slapping the comedian at the Academy Awards earlier this year.
Why it matters: The nearly six-minute apology video, posted to Instagram and YouTube, is the latest apology from Smith about the controversial Oscars moment. He previously apologized in a statement in March.
What he said: Smith said in the new video Friday he was "deeply remorseful" for slapping Rock. He said he didn't apologize during the Oscars because he "fogged out."
- Smith said he "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."
- "I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," Smith said.
- "There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment," he said. "There is no part of me that thinks that's the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults."
- Smith apologized to Rock's mother, Rose, and younger brother, Tony, in the video. Smith worked with Tony Rock on the 2007 sitcom "All of Us," NBC News notes.
Flashback: Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock on the Oscars stage in March for telling a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith's alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
- Smith apologized to Chris Rock in an Instagram statement less than 24 hours after the moment and then resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- The Academy later banned Smith from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.
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