The beleaguered Academy Awards found itself grabbing headlines across the globe yesterday, although not for the reasons that the Academy would have liked as the soon-to-be-Oscar-winning Will Smith “smacked the shit out of” presenter Chris Rock live on stage less than an hour before picking up his Best Actor gong for King Richard.
While the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that it has opened a formal review into the incident at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, Smith has now offered a public apology for his actions with an Instagram post that reads:
“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 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.”
SEE ALSO: Yes, Will Smith open-palmed Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. No, violence is not the answer
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The Academy, which has come under fire for its handling of the situation on the night, had earlier shared its own statement which read:
“The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. 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.”
If remains to be seen what punishment Smith may receive from the Academy, although reports suggest it is highly unlikely that he’ll be asked to return his Oscar and will instead most likely see his Academy membership suspended or revoked.
