Chris Rock gets apology from Oscar organisers after Will Smith slap

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscar awards, has apologised to comedian Chirs Rock for a slap he got from actor Will Smith.

News agency AFP reported that the Academy put out a statement saying, “Mr Rock, we apologise to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment.”

The Academy had earlier said, “The Academy condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law.”

It had also tweeted right after the incident, saying, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form. Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world.”

Soon after the incident, Will Smith apologised to Chris Rock for slapping him in the face on the stage during the awards ceremony last Sunday night (March 27) because Chris Rock had made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness, saying that she looked like GI Jane 2. Smith had then yelled at him: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***** mouth.”

Jada had later said that they were also undergoing a process of healing, and had posted folded hands emoji on her Instagram account.

Also read: Oscar slapgate: For or against Will Smith? Celebs, Twitterati pick sides

In 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she had been diagnosed with alopecia which caused her to go bald, and has said that she has been struggling with the condition.

Meanwhile, Oscars producer Will Packer revealed that the police were ready to arrest Will Smith for slapping Chris Rock.

“They (cops) were saying, you know, this is battery (US term for assault). They said we will go get him, we are prepared, we are prepared to get him right now, you can press charges, we can arrest him, you have — they were laying out the options. Chris was — he was being very dismissive of those options. He was like, ‘I’m fine,'” Packer told ABC Television.

It looks as if the issue will not die down soon as netizens keep the matter burning with reactions in both ways. While some say that Chris Rock should not have joked about Jada’s hair, which was a result of her condition, others say Will Smith should have been more accepting as Chris Rock was only joking.