When Chris Rock was slapped at the Oscars, Will Smith said sorry and said that he was sorry.
When Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith, the winner of the best actor award, Will Smith was not happy about it.
In an apology to Chris Rock, Will Smith said that his actions were "unacceptable and inexcusable," and that he was sorry.
In a statement, he said, "Chris, I'd like to say sorry." The way I said I was wrong.
People who make movies aren't happy about what happened, and now they're going to do a formal investigation.
A comic made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, who is the actor's wife. The star slapped Rock in the face on stage after that.
In the past, Rock had made fun of Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which was caused by the hair-loss condition alopecia.
In a short time, Smith won his first Academy Award for his role as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in the movie King Richard.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive," Smith said in a statement that was posted to Instagram, which you can read here.
"My actions at last night's Academy Awards were unacceptable and inexcusable. I can't believe I did that. Job: Jokes about me are part of the job. A joke about Jada's health was too much for me and I reacted emotionally."
Smith said he was "out of line" when he said sorry to Rock. To the Academy and the Williams family, he said sorry.
"I deeply regret that my actions have tarnished what would have been a beautiful trip for all of us," he said in his letter.
Before Smith made his apology, the group that runs the Oscars said in a statement that they "condemned" Smith's actions in a statement.
In response to the incident, it said, "We have started a formal review and will look into what else we can do in accordance with our Bylaws and Standards of Conduct, as well as California law."
Management of a crisis
Some people have said that Rock should also apologize to Jada, but many people say that it's the job of comedians to make fun of people, not to apologize.
He and his PR team hope that his apology will save his career and relationship with the Academy and put out the flames caused by the fight on Sunday night.
His statement has been written with a lot of thought. Smith is careful with his words. He explains why he reacted the way he did, but he doesn't try to make up for it.
But his apology doesn't mean that this story is over, and it won't be. Rock, on the other hand, will have to say something public at some point. So far, it looks like he's going to laugh about the whole thing.
It was said that the comedian joked backstage after the punch: "That's the only time you get hit by Muhammad Ali and it doesn't leave a scratch." He was referring to Smith's role in the movie about the boxer.
But even when the news about the punch fades, the events that happened on Sunday will stay with the people who were there for a long time. As soon as they start talking about their new movie, you can't avoid talking about it.
In addition, the Academy's Board of Governors is said to be meeting on Wednesday to talk about whether or not to take any more steps against Smith.
Some people thought that his Oscar could be taken away, but that isn't very likely. It's still possible for him to get a less harsh punishment, like having his Academy membership revoked. After he apologized, that may be less likely now.
Fans around the world are still interested in this story, and they'll be excited to see where it goes next.
In the 1997 movie GI Jane, Demi Moore had a very long buzzcut. Rock made the joke about the movie.
In the beginning, Pinkett Smith laughed and clapped her hands. Then Smith was seen on stage, walking up to Rock, and he seemed to laugh and clap his hands at first.
The comedian looked shocked right after the accident, but he told the audience: "That was the best night in TV history."
The Los Angeles Police Department told Variety later that Rock "did not want to file a police report" after the event.
After the accident, Rock gave the best documentary prize to the winner. That was the reason he was on stage.
He hasn't said anything more about what happened.
Afterward, Smith said that Richard Williams was a "ferocious defender of his family," and that in his own life, he had to "love people and protect people."
His answer was that art is like "life." "Like Richard Williams, I look like the crazy father. Love will make you do crazy things, though."
He said he hoped the Academy would invite him back.