If Will Smith thinks he’ll be sitting down with Chris Rock anytime soon after giving his public apology last week, he’d certainly be mistaken — at least according to reports. While the “Hancock” actor addressed the debacle at the Oscars in a candid video message on Friday, saying he was apologetic for his actions and how his violent outburst may have affected those around him, Chris isn’t showing any signs of being open to having a conversation with Will.
According to Entertainment Tonight, “Chris has no plans to reach out” to talk about the incident which saw him slapped across the face as viewers at home debated whether the assault was staged or not. At this point, however, seeing that the two have not spoken nor seen one another since the Academy Awards, the heated situation stemming from a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith’s buzzcut hairstyle was as real as it could get.
They really mad at Will Smith, I aint heard Summertime all Summer…
— Drunk Uncle Ace (@TheBurgerlab215) July 20, 2022
Sources for ET assert that Chris accepting Will’s apology and meeting up with him to talk things through would only be in the best interest of the latter — Chris isn’t going to gain anything from taking time out of his day to talk things through with his industry peer. “He [Will] needs the public’s forgiveness, not Chris,” they added.
Will returned to his official YouTube channel last week where he posted his first video since getting physical with the comedian at the Academy Awards, with the board later banning him from their prestigious events for 10 years following his inappropriate behavior that left many people calling for executives to strip Will from his Best Actor award.
Having taken some time to reflect on his actions, the father-of-three sounded sincere when he issued up a few words, hoping that his effort in making peace will spark interest in Chris to not only forgive him but also consider the idea of conversing about the situation in person.
“It’s all fuzzy,” Will said of the infamous moment. “I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk. I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my own history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it.”
Ask yourselves why Hollywood made a bigger deal out of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock than this. No horrified statements from Judd Apatow, Wanda Sykes or Zoe Kravitz. https://t.co/scaeK2UqnS
— Torraine Walker (@TorraineWalker) July 31, 2022
“I hate when I let people down. So it hurts, it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me,” the “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” hitmaker went on to say.
“And the work I’m trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I’m human and I made a mistake, and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t.”