“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris,” Will issued in his statement. “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
Smith posted the public apology following the Academy’s condemnation of his slapping Christ Rock on stage.
Rock was slapped after he made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Rock drew attention to Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, the result of her alopecia.
Shortly after the incident, Will Smith returned on stage to accept his first Oscar. He bagged the Best Actor award for his portrayal of King Richard.
“Jokes at my expense are part of the job,” Smith said, “but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he added. Smith also apologized to the Academy and the Williams family.
The Academy’s statement read, “We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law.”