This comes after Chris Rock had been presenting the award for Best Documentary at the ceremony. Whilst on stage, Rock made a joke about Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkette-Smith being bald. Pinkette-Smith suffers from alopeacia.
Rock said that he was looking forward to seeing Jada in the next GI Jane film. Moments later, Will Smith walked onto the stage, before striking Chris Rock in the face. He later shouted "keep my wife's name out of your f*****g mouth".
In his acceptance speech, Will Smith did apologise to his fellow nominees and the Academy itself. However, his decision not to apologise to Rock directly divided opinion, with some fans feeling that he ought to have done so.
However, the King Richard star has now issued a public apology to Chris Rock, calling his conduct "unacceptable and inexcusable".
While he accepted that jokes aimed at him as "part of the job", Smith claimed that Rock's joke about his wife's medical condition “was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally”.
Reaching out to Rock specifically, Smith added, “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".
Once again, Will Smith also apologised to the Academy and, “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".
The LAPD have stated that Chris Rock does not seek to press charges against Will Smith.
