Academy Issues Direct Apology To Chris Rock After Will Smith Slap

It’s been a bit of a week. Just a few days ago, the internet exploded when, during the Academy Awards ceremony, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star Will Smith climbed onto stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face, after he made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. But, I’m sure you already knew that - it’s still absolutely everywhere.

The internet has been divided over who was in the right, if anyone. It’s been like a discussion under those “am I the asshole” Reddit posts, but on a colossal scale - even massive names like Jim Carrey have been weighing in on it. Anyway, now, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (more simply known as the Academy) have issued an official apology to Rock, claiming that they “could have handled the situation differently”.

Will Smith's mother has also shared her views on the incident - check it out below.

“Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television,” the Academy said (as reported by Deadline). “Mr. Rock, we apologise to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologise to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”

They also confirmed that Smith was actually asked to leave after the incident, but (clearly) didn’t do so: “Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” they continued. “While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently.”

Smith issued a public apology to Rock earlier this week, claiming he was “embarrassed” by his actions: “My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he wrote on Instagram. “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.”

As of now, according to the LAPD, Rock is not pressing charges against Smith.