Will Smith says he was out of line for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars – National | The Canadian News

The day after slapping Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith issued an apology to the comedian, the academy and viewers at home, saying he was “out of line” and that his actions “are not indicative of the man I want to be.”

The fallout from Sunday’s show continued on Monday, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences condemned Smith’s onstage assault and said it would launch an investigation into the matter. Smith later apologized more forcefully than he did in his acceptance speech for the best actor award, in which he did not apologize to Rock.

“Violence in all its forms is poisonous and destructive,” Smith said. “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 and I reacted emotionally. I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and wrong. I am ashamed 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.”

Smith added his apologies to the film academy, telecast producers, attendees, viewers and the Williams family. Smith was honored for his role as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena.

“I’m a work in progress,” Smith added.

Earlier on Monday, the film academy said, “The Academy condemns Mr. Smith’s actions at last night’s show. We have officially initiated a formal review surrounding the incident and will consider further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”

The fallout from Smith’s onstage assault continued Monday, as Hollywood and the public continued to grapple with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home, and may have trumped all others – even the gold standard gaffe, EnvelopeGate – in Academy Awards infamy.

Smith surprised the Dolby Theatre audience and viewers at home when he took the stage during Rock’s remarks after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife. Rock said, “Jada, I love you. `G.I. Jane 2,’ I can’t wait to see it.”

The joke touched a nerve. Pinkett Smith, whose head is shaved, has spoken publicly about her alopecia diagnosis. Smith went on stage and slapped Rock across the face. Back in her seat, Smith twice yelled at Rock to “get my wife’s name out of his (expletive) mouth.” His words clearly echoed through the Dolby, even though ABC cut the audio for about 15 seconds. After an hour, Smith won the award for best actor. During his acceptance speech, Smith apologized to the academy.

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Following Sunday night’s show, the academy released a statement condemning the violence. The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday that it was aware of the incident, but was not conducting an investigation because the person involved refused to file a police report.

Some academy members, including screenwriter and producer Marshall Herskovitz, called for the academy to take disciplinary action against Smith.

“Tonight he disgraced our entire community,” Herskovitz wrote on Twitter.

Whoopi Goldberg, a member of the Academy’s board of governors, said Monday on “The View,” “We’re not going to take away the Oscar. There will be consequences, I’m sure.”

The Screen Actors Guild also weighed in. The film, television and radio union called the incident “unacceptable” and said that “violence or physical abuse in the workplace is never acceptable.” SAG said it had been in contact with the academy and ABC, and does not comment on the guild’s own disciplinary process.

A sense of disbelief hung in the air at the Dolby Theatre after Smith’s assault, and it didn’t dissipate Monday. Not only was it a breach of decorum difficult to fathom on live national television-an incident so dramatic, even cinematic, that many initially assumed it was staged-but it seemed totally out of character for one of Hollywood’s most optimistic stars.

All this less than an hour before Smith reached possibly the highlight of his career, winning his first Oscar, for Best Actor.

“In a way, I feel bad for Will Smith, too, because I think he got carried away with his emotions, and this should have been one of the great nights of his life,” former Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel said on Bill Simmons’ podcast. “And now it’s not. Was there anyone who didn’t like Will Smith an hour ago in the world? Like nobody, right? Now he doesn’t have a single comedic friend _ that’s for sure.”

Some questioned whether Smith should have been allowed to continue sitting in the front row after slapping Rock. Several stars rushed to advise and calm Smith, including Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tyler Perry. But the moment was also awkward because the best actor category was to be contested shortly thereafter, and Smith had long been considered a lock for the award.

“I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences we can’t even imagine at the moment,” Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, wrote on Twitter.

The prank that provoked Smith was not part of Rock’s routine during pre-show rehearsals, according to two sources close to the production who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Rock had joked with Pinkett Smith before. He hosted the 2016 Oscars when some were boycotting the ceremony over the #OscarsSoWhite group of nominees, which included the Smiths. Said Rock, “Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”

Drama eclipsed some historic Oscar wins. The deaf family drama “CODA” became the first film with a mostly deaf cast to win Best Picture. For the first time, a streaming service, Apple TV+, took home Hollywood’s top award, marking a profound change in Hollywood and in the way people watch movies. Ariana DeBose, from “West Side Story,” became the first Afro-Latina and the first openly LGBTQ actress to win Best Supporting Actress.

Associated Press writers Lindsey Bahr and Hillel Italie contributed to this dispatch.