Smith posts apology video for slap
Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” Smith said in a less-than-6-minute video posted online Friday. “I am deeply remorseful, and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.” To Rock, he said: “I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Smith answered preselected questions about his behavior at the March 27 Academy Awards, when he slapped presenter Rock after the comedian made a reference about the hairstyle of Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith’s wife.
Smith also apologized to Rock’s family, including his brother Tony and his mother, Rosalie, who was horrified to see her son hurt and told Us Weekly that, “When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.”
Smith apologized to his family “for the heat that I brought on all of us,” and his fellow Oscar nominees to have “stolen and tarnished your moment.”
Smith also said his wife did nothing to encourage his slap. “Jada had nothing to do with it,” he said. “I made a choice on my own.” Pinkett Smith has said that she has alopecia areata, a hair-loss disorder.
Smith previously apologized to Rock in a statement after the Oscars.
For his part, it seemed Rock has moved on after the Oscar incident, an eyewitness told Us Weekly after his show Sunday in New Jersey.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” said Rock, according to the source. In addition, Rock said, “I’m not a victim.”
“Yeah, that (expletive) hurt (expletive),” Rock reportedly said. “But I shook that (expletive) off and went to work the next day ... I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
Actor Cribbins dies:
Bernard Cribbins, a beloved British entertainer whose seven-decade career ranged from comedies to children’s television, has died at age 93. Agent Gavin Barker Associates announced Cribbins’ death on Thursday.
A warm, avuncular character actor, Cribbins played station porter Albert
Perks in the 1970 film
“The Railway Children” and voiced all the characters in “The Wombles,” a 1970s animated series about a family of burrowing creatures living under London’s Wimbledon Common. He also appeared in several movies in the “Carry On” series
A younger generation knew Cribbins as Wilfred Mott, a companion to David Tennant’s titular Doctor, when “Doctor Who” was revived in the early 21st century.
John, Spears collaborate:
“Tiny Dancer” is getting an audio makeover thanks to a reported collaboration between its original singer and co-writer Elton John and Britney Spears, a source in the industry told People magazine. Universal Music is expected to drop the track next month.
July 30 birthdays: Guitarist Buddy Guy is 86. Singer Paul Anka is 81. Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is 75. Singer Neal McCoy is 64. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 61. Actor
Lisa Kudrow is 59. Actor Vivica A. Fox is 58. Actor Terry Crews is 54. Director Christopher Nolan is 52. Actor Hilary Swank is 48. Actor Jaime Pressly is 45. Actor Gina Rodriguez is 38.