King Richard actor Will Smith was “calmed down” by fellow actor Bradley Cooper at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony after he unexpectedly smacked presenter Chris Rock across the face.
According to reports by US Weekly and other American publications, fellow guests in attendance at the Oscars took the opportunity during the commercial break to try and calm the 53-year-old down.
It was also reported that Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry took Will to one side to talk to him.
During the break, A Star is Born actor Bradley was seen approaching Will and placed his hands on his shoulders as they seemed to speak intensely about the actor’s abrupt outburst.
The pair also hugged after they spoke.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Not long after, father-of-two Will accepted his first Oscar award for Best Actor for the film King Richard.
He then delivered his speech and confirmed that Hollywood star Denzel spoke to him about his actions while apologising for what took place.
Will said: “Denzel said to me, ‘Be careful. At your highest moment, that’s when the devil comes for you.'”
The impromptu slap came after comedian Chris, 57, joked he couldn’t “wait to see” Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith in the next G.I. Jane film due to the fact that she is currently sporting a shaved head look.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
However, Jada suffers with alopecia and has been open about her hair journey.
When the joke was made, Jada appeared fairly distressed by Chris’ quip and rolled her eyes at his comment.
But Men In Black star Will took things a step further by climbing on stage to slap Chris.
When he returned to his seat he exclaimed: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.”
Stand-up comedian and actor Chris was clearly taken aback by the incident and reminded Will that it was a joke.
(Image: Getty Images)
Now that the event has wrapped up, Will took to his Instagram to release a statement on the matter.
He penned: “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 part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The star then went on to apologise to Chris for the physical assault.
He added: “I would like to publicly apologise 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.”
He also said sorry to the academy, his fans and the Williams family.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
