Will Smith
apologized to the Academy and his fellow best actor nominees in his
winning acceptance speech, shortly after he went onstage and slapped
Chris Rock for making a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. He did not
address Rock in his speech.
“I want to
apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.
This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award.
It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine a
light on all of the people. Tim and Trevor and Zack and Saniyya and
Demi and Aunjanue and the entire cast and crew of ‘King Richard,’ Venus
and Serena, the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like
the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams,” Smith
said in his tearful acceptance speech.
Rock had
earlier made a joke about Pinkett Smith being in “G.I. Jane” because of
her bald head. Pinkett Smith announced last year she shaved her head
after struggling with alopecia. After smacking Rock in the face, Smith
yelled at him, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!” The
Oscar audience, and viewers on social media, were stunned by Smith’s
slap, which seemed like a comedic skit at first. The incident took place
during the presentation of best documentary feature, which was a few
categories before best actor. Smith addressed the slap immediately upon
taking the stage to accept the award.
“ Richard
Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life,
in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and
be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who
is one of the strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to
protect Saniyya and Demi, the two actresses that played Venus and
Serena,” he said, as he began to tear up. “I’m being called on in my
life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my
people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You
got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you
got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile
and you got to pretend like that’s okay.”
After
the incident with Rock, Smith’s publicist Meredith O. Sullivan, Oscar
producer Will Packer and best actor nominee Denzel Washington came by to
talk to Smith during the commercial breaks. In his speech, Smith
revealed what Washington said to him.
“Thank
you, Dee. Denzel said a few minutes ago, ‘At your highest moment, be
careful, that’s when the Devil comes for you,'” Smith said.
Despite
the shocking moment that had just taken place, Smith kept the end of
his speech light and joked about being invited back to the Oscars.
“To
my mother — a lot of this moment is really complicated for me — but to
my mother, she didn’t want to come out. She had her knitting friends;
she has a knitting crew that she’s in Philly watching with. Being able
to love and care for my mother and my family, my wife — I’m taking up
too much time. Thank you for this honor. Thank you for this moment. And
thank you on behalf of Richard and Oracene [Price] and the entire
Williams family. Thank you. I hope the Academy invites me back,” Smith
said before exiting the stage.
