Chris Rock has “no plans” to contact Will Smith after the actor formally apologized for hitting him at the Academy Awards, it is alleged.
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star, 53, said Friday via Instagram that he had spent the past four months “working” on himself after hitting Chris at the Oscars in March.
A source has since reported that the comedian, 57, is currently not ready to rekindle a friendship and said Will’s apology was simply an attempt to restore his public image.
Not ready: Chris Rock has ‘no plans’ to contact Will Smith after actor formally apologized for hitting him at Academy Awards, it was alleged
An insider told ET Online: ‘Chris has no intention of contacting Will’ before adding: ‘Hey [Will] needs the public’s forgiveness, not Chris’s.’
On Instagram Friday, the King Richard actor said in his apology: “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk when he is, he’ll get in touch.
“So I’ll tell you, Chris, I apologize. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you want to talk.’
He also apologized to Chris’s mother and his entire family, especially his mother and his younger brother Tony.
Slap: The Fresh Prince of Bel Air star, 53, said Friday via Instagram that he’s taken the past four months to “work” on himself after punching Chris at the Oscars in March
Will said, “I just didn’t realize how many people were hurt at the time, so I want to apologize to Chris’s mom. I want to apologize.
“I want to apologize to Tony Rock… Tony Rock was my husband and this is probably irreparable,” he said.
He also apologized to Jada Pinkett Smith, his wife whose honor he claimed to be defending with the outburst, saying she had “nothing to do with it.”
“I’ve spent the past three months repeating and understanding the nuances and complexities of what was happening in that moment.
Shocked: Chris was visibly stunned after the incident on stage
“I’m not going to try and unpack all that now, but I can tell you all, there’s not a single part of me that thinks this was the right way to behave at the time.
“There isn’t a single part of me that thinks this is the optimal way to deal with a sense of disrespect or insults.”
Chris, who hosted the Academy Awards show in March, joked that Smith’s wife Jada looked like “GI Jane” because of her bald head.
She had recently revealed that she suffers from alopecia.
Will stormed onto the stage and punched Rock after smoking, “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth.”
He won Best Actor that night for his role in King Richard, but did not specifically apologize to Rock.
He insisted his wife had nothing to do with the blow and continued, “I made my own choice from my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, honey.
“I want to say sorry to my children and my family for the heat I put on all of us. To all my fellow nominees, this is a community.
“It’s like I won because you voted for me and it breaks my heart that I stole and tainted your moment.”
Will went on to claim that “disappointing people” is his “central trauma,” adding, “I can still see Questlove’s eyes. You know it happened on the price of Questlove. You know, it’s like. I’m really not enough. Disappointing people is my central trauma.
Before the events: Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith recently revealed she was suffering from alopecia and had her head shaved (pictured on the night of the Oscars in March)
“I hate it when I disappoint people, so it hurts. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to the image and impression people had of me, and the work I’m trying to do is that I deeply repent.
“And I try to repent without being ashamed of myself. I’m human and I made a mistake and I try not to think of myself as a piece of shit.
“I would like to say to those people that I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you that I am deeply committed and committed to bringing light, love and joy into the world.
“And, you know, if you stick with it, I promise we can be friends again,” he told the fans he’d abandoned.
Say sorry: Will previously apologized in a post shared on his Instagram account in March
Will first apologized to Rock in March. He posted a lengthy statement on Instagram saying that “violence in all its forms” was wrong.
Chris only recently addressed the controversy at a Madison Square Garden show, where he laughed it off.
During his show, Rock said via CNN that ‘everyone is trying to be a c*t victim. If everyone claims to be a victim, then no one hears the real victims.’
The Grown Ups actor went on to admit that experiencing “being slaughtered” was something he had to get through quickly.
The performer noted that after he was beaten, “I went to work the next day, I had children.”
He also joked, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Remorse: The actor said he was ‘fogged’ during his acceptance speech, which is why he didn’t apologize to Chris at the time