It was nearly a year ago that Will Smith made headlines around the world when he stepped onto the stage at the Academy Awards and slapped Chris Rock.
After the comedian made comments alluding to Jada Pinkett-Smith's alopecia, Smith initially made verbal threats to Rock before walking up and assaulting him.
The act received widespread condemnation and Smith was subsequently given a 10-year ban from the Oscars, but that was only after he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard.
Janet Yang, the current president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science, believes Smith was actually let off easy.
“I’m sure you all remember we experienced an unprecedented event at the Oscars,” Yang said at the 2023 Oscar Nominees Luncheon.
"What happened onstage was fully unacceptable and the response from our organization was inadequate. We learned from this that the Academy must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis you must act swiftly, compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry.
"You should and can expect no less form us going forward.”
Smith has apologised to Chris Rock
Rock accused Smith of showing his true colours in the aftermath of the altercation between the pair at the Academy Awards, saying Smith's apology was like a "hostage video."
After the dust had settled a few months later, Smith would release an apology video which received a mixed reaction from fans.
The first question, read out by Smith, asks 'why didn't you apologise to Chris Rock in your acceptance speech?'
He responds: “I was fogged out by that point. It's all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out. I will say to you, Chris, I apologise to you, my behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Rock brushed off the attempted apology by saying that Smith was attempting to play the victim.
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