Rock made subtle slap gestures at comedy shows in the months that followed, but didn’t address them publicly at length. He took the same approach during his performance on Friday.
“Everyone is trying to be a victim,” said Rock. “If everyone claims to be a victim, no one will hear the real victims.” “I was even slapped by Suge Smith…I went to work the next day, I have kids.”
Later he said sarcastically: “Whoever says painful words has not been punched in the face.”
Smith lit the stage and hit rock bottom after making a joke about the hairstyle of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from hair loss.
In the video posted on his social media accounts, the official Smith begins with a message on the screen: “Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot and working personally. … I’ve asked so many fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”
Smith sighs and then offers his thoughts about a brawl that made headlines around the world and tarnished his image.
He explains why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for his Best Actor Academy Award win for “King Richard.”
“It felt foggy at this point,” he says. “Everything is mysterious.”
Smith says he tried to contact Rock, but indicated he was not ready to talk and would reach out to him when he was.
“So I’m going to tell you, Chris, I apologise. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever I’m ready to speak.”
“We had a great relationship,” Smith says. “Tony Rock was my man and that probably can’t be fixed.”
Smith also apologizes to his wife, children and fellow Academy Award nominees.
“Disappointing people is my central shock,” he says. “I hate when I let people down so I feel pain.”
Smith sends a message to his supporters, saying he’s committed to “shining light, love, and joy into the world.”
He concludes, “If you stick around, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
