| On 2 years ago

Did Chris Rock really apologise to Will Smith?

By Sandisiwe Mbhele

As the parties involved try to weather the storm, Will Smith has shared his apology for slapping Chris Rock, now all eyes are on the comedian to hear what he will say.

Smith left the world speechless when he took to the stage and slapped Rock before returning to his seat while shouting: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f*** mouth”. The joke Rock made was in reference to his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss and battle with alopecia.

In the joke, Rock compared Smith’s bald head to Demi Moore’s iconic role in G.I Jane.

After some reflection Smith issued an apology on Instagram saying his actions were “out of line” and he was wrong.

“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” he said.

An image that purported to show Rock’s apology, was shared on social media on Tuesday, addressed to Will and Jada.

“Comedy is never about poking fun at or making lite [sic] of people with major ordeals happening in their lives. Comedy is about real-life circumstances to create laughter to bring light in an otherwise dark world,” the reported apology read.

Take a look at the fake apology below:

However, Rock’s publicity team have shut down rumours of this apology, calling it fake, pointing out the grammatical errors. The comedian and actor has not shared anything on his social media accounts since the incident.

A senior film editor and journalist from the Hollywood Reporter, Rebecca Keegan, said his team have denied issuing the statement.

“Chris Rock has not yet issued a statement. There is a statement going around purporting to be from Rock that is not from him, per his team. It’s the one that starts, “As a comedian, it can be difficult to understand…” she tweeted.

It was reported that Rock declined to press charges against Will Smith, which the Los Angeles Police Department acknowledged in a statement.

American comedians have lauded Rock’s composure after the incident and called Smith’s action “toxic masculinity”. Ticket sales for Chris Rock’s latest stand up show have skyrocketed since the Oscars.