Video: Did Jada Pinkett ask her husband Will Smith to slap Chris Rock?

Will Smith has issued a video apology to Chris Rock for slapping him at March’s Academy Awards, saying that his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, had “nothing to do” with his decision to hit Rock.

Rock, who was hosting the event, made an on-stage joke about Pinkett Smith’s lack of hair, leading Smith to defend his wife. Today (July 29), the King Richard actor decided to answer questions that have been asked for months. 

“After Jada rolled her eyes, did she tell you to do something?” Smith read. “No,” he responded. “I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it,” he insisted. The “Gettin’ Jiggy wit It” artist added, “I’m sorry, babe.” 

Smith also apologized to the rest of his loved ones for his surprising actions. “I wanna say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.” Some social media users commended Smith’s ability to take responsibility for the incident. 

“My favorite part of Will Smith’s apology is him making it CLEAR that Jada never told him to do anything to Chris after his joke. So many people built a following off of blaming Jada and spewing hatred at her for what Will did,” one person tweeted. 

Another added, “I will never forget when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock [and] y’all blamed Jada of all people. Whew chile, the misogyny.” 

During Smith’s video he apologized to the entire Rock family — specifically addressing Chris, Tony and their mother. 

“I didn’t realize and wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment,” the award-winning actor said. Smith also shared that he’s reached out to Rock personally, but the comedian was “not ready to talk.” 

Watch: 

 

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