• Will Smith has apologised to Chris Rock for his behaviour at the Oscars.
• The actor said he had been “doing a lot of thinking and personal work”.
• Since the incident, he has been banned from attending Academy events – including the Oscars – for 10 years.

Will Smith has been banned from attending any Academy events, including the Oscars, for 10 years, said bluntly: “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave.”

In his first public remark after the notorious Oscars slap, Will Smith has expressed regret to Chris Rock.

In a reel released on his Instagram account, the actor said he had been “doing a lot of thinking and personal work” since the Oscars and was “trying not to think of myself as a piece of s***”.

He said: “Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

Smith admitted he had been in touch with Rock personally, but that a message had come back to say he was “not ready to talk”.

Additionally, Chris Rock’s family, especially his mother, who Smith claimed to have witnessed being questioned about the incident, received his apology.

He added: “You know, I wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment? So I want to apologise to Chris’s mother.”

Before the tape starts, Smith is heard taking numerous deep breathes.

Sitting alone in a chair, he responds to questions from fans and followers, telling them: “You have asked a lot of fair questions.”

The first wanted to know why Smith did not say sorry to Chris Rock at the time, to which he responded he was “fogged out”.

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“It’s all fuzzy,” he added, “but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.

“There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

In March, as Rock was preparing to give an award at the Oscars event in Los Angeles, Smith entered the stage and smacked Rock, who had made a joke about the actor’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith returned to his seat and shouted twice: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”

‘Sorry’ not enough

In Rock’s joke, the actress Demi Moore’s 1997 movie GI Jane, in which she shaved her head, was mentioned. The comedian’s knowledge of Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that results in hair loss, is still up for debate.

In his speech, he admitted that his actions had also taken from other nominees a significant moment.

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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, a musician and filmmaker, had just received the Academy Award for best documentary feature while Smith was presenting it.

And Smith said he can “still see the look in Questlove’s eyes”.

‘I’m human’

He added: “To all my fellow nominees…. it really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment. I can still see Questlove’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry,’ really isn’t sufficient.”

Will Smith accepted his Oscar that same night for his performance in King Richard.

In closing his apology, Smith added: “I’m human. And I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s***.

“I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking, but I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world.

“And, you know. If you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”