During the 94th Academy Awards ceremony at the iconic Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Will Smith smacked Chris Rock on stage after the latter cracked a joke about the actor's wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The joke was in reference to her shaved head because of autoimmune disorder alopecia areata but it apparently didn't go down well with Smith, who went up to the stage and slapped Rock. The 'Independence Day' actor, who later won the Best Actor award, tendered a tearful apology while receiving his statuette and said, "Love will make you do crazy things", as his wife looked on sitting in the audience.
Now, Jada has broken her silence in her first Instagram post after the incident. Taking to her social media handle on Tuesday, she posted a note that said, "This is a season for healing and I'm here for it." She didn't specifically mention the infamous slapgate in her post which quickly went viral on the photo and video sharing platform owned by Facebook.
READ | Alopecia Areata: Know all about auto-immune condition Will Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith suffers from
Meanwhile, Smith had publicly apologised to Rock for the first time in his Instagram post on Monday. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed 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 wrote on Instagram.
"Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night's Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally," Smith said in his apology.
He also apologised to the Academy for his behaviour as he wrote, "I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family. I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us." In concluding his note, the actor added, "I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will."
