Hollywood actor Will Smith, who slapped comedian Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy awards, addressed the controversy for the first time on camera since the incident. 

In the video shared a video to YouTube, Instagram and Facebook on Friday, the 53-year-old issued an apology to Rock again and told him, “I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

“I’ve 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. So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

Also Read: What would Akshay Kumar do if Chris Rock made a joke about his wife? Actor answers

The actor also said that he wants to apologize to Rock’s mom, Rose Rock.

“I saw an interview that his mother did. That’s one of the things about that moment I didn’t realize, I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment. 

So I want to apologize to Chris’s mother; I want to apologize to Chris’s family, specifically Tony Rock [Chris’s younger brother]. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable.”  

Also Read: What Jada Pinkett Smith wants Will Smith and Chris Rock to do about Oscars’ episode

Watch the video here – 

For those unversed, during Oscar night that took place on March 27, Chris Rock got on the stage to present the award for best documentary feature. During his intro, he made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, which did not go down too well with Will Smith, who responded by approaching the stage and slapping Rock the comedian. A day after the event, Smith apologised to Rock and the Academy in an Instagram post. Will Smith was later banned from attending Oscars for the next 10 years.