Posted in: ABC, streaming, TV, YouTube | Tagged: academy awards, chris rock, oscars, will smith

Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock, Academy; Offers Reason for Slap

Less than 24-hours after Best Actor nominee Will Smith (King Richard) slapped presenter Chris Rock during the live broadcast of the Academy Awards over Rock's joke referencing his wife Jada Pinkett Smith ("Jada, I love you, 'G.I. Jane 2,' can't wait to see it"), making the two the topic of 95% of the conversations happening online and in offices pretty much everywhere, Smith has taken to social media to post an apology while also offering a defense for his actions. "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable," Smith wrote in his statement. "Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."

Here's a look at Smith's post from earlier, followed by a full transcript of the post's caption and the image text:

Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.

I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.

I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.

I am a work in progress.

Sincerely,

Will

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