Will Smith’s soliloquy during his best actor acceptance speech on Sunday – after he smacked Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head at the Oscars – will forever go down in the memories of many throughout the world as equally bizarre as the sound of the unprovoked slap that permeated the rooms of millions of viewers.
In his diatribe for which he cried and seemed to don his method actor cap, the "7 Pounds" actor apologized to several people for his behavior — though not explicitly to Rock. That about-face came in the evening hours on Monday.
"I want to apologize to the academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees," Smith said on stage Sunday. "Art imitates life: I look like the crazy father. Just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things."
In a video obtained by Fox News Digital, "Bad Boys" director Michael Bay was asked during a beach outing about the viral moment, which he said he hadn’t been watching live and "really didn’t see it all go down" but about which had obviously heard after it occurred.
WILL SMITH APOLOGIZES TO CHRIS ROCK FOR OSCARS' SLAPPING INCIDENT: 'I WAS WRONG'
Bay said that he isn’t sure whether Smith should have been escorted out of the Dolby Theatre for the incident. The director doesn’t "know the rules, but it was a little unlike Will. He’s a very steady guy."
"My reaction was like everyone’s reaction," added the "Transformers" signal-caller. "He’s a great guy – I’ve never seen him mad. I just saw the clip, you know. And I’m no one to judge. He’s just not an angry guy."
WILL SMITH, CHRIS ROCK’S OSCARS SPAT HEARD IN UNCENSORED VIRAL CLIP
Speaking to the words of solace acting great Denzel Washington bestowed upon the Smith, Bay maintained that the message was certainly poignant and "it does make you think – I mean, Denzel’s got a lot of wisdom in this business."
Asked if he had spoken to Smith, Bay said he hasn’t. Bay pressed that he also doesn’t feel the incident will have a lasting negative impact on Smith’s career.
Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022, in Hollywood, California. (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)
"He apologized," said Bay on the premise that he would hire Smith again in any capacity. "I didn’t hear the whole apology, but I read it. I didn’t see it."
As for Rock’s reaction after being struck center stage, Bay came away impressed by the comedian’s poise under pressure, adding, "Chris was – I’ve got to work with him in movies. "I mean, I know Chris and he handled it very well, that’s why I wonder if it was set up, you know."
Ultimately, Bay summarized the incident this way: "they had their exchange and then that was it. He walked off."
WILL SMITH'S SON REACTS TO CHRIS ROCK SLAP OVER JADA PINKETT SMITH: 'AND THAT'S HOW WE DO IT'
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, wrote on social media: "I know we’re all still processing, but the way casual violence was normalized tonight by a collective national audience will have consequences that we can’t even fathom in the moment."
The smack itself sent the internet into a frenzy with many taking to Twitter and other media channels to either make light of the situation in the form of rib-tickling memes or to lend their two cents as spectators who had witnessed an on-camera assault by one of show business's most "wholesome" performers.
Janet Hubert
"There is only so much one can take… sometimes you have to slap back," the actress, who portrayed "old" Aunt Viv on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, tweeted. "Celebrate the win… nothing else matters. Both actions were incorrect but Chris didn’t need to go there."
Alec Baldwin
"I am not reading much about how, or even if, the producers attended to Chris," the embattled actor tweeted and posted to Instagram. "But I love you @chrisrock. And I’m sorry the Oscars turned into the Jerry Springer Show."
Will Smith yells at Chris Rock from his seat at the Oscar's after physically assaulting him on stage on Sunday, March 27, 2022. (Screenshot/ABC)
Cardi B
"At your highest moment …be careful that's when the devil tries to come for you," the "WAP" rapper wrote on Twitter, echoing what Smith revealed Denzel Washington relayed to him after the heated exchange.
Tim Allen
The "Last Man Standing" actor and stand-up comedian was none too pleased with Smith's actions and made his point on Twitter, writing, "It’s not ok to come up on stage and hit a dude cause you don’t like the humor. It’s not ok at a Comedy Club, concert hall or hosting some cheeseball award show. Chris Rock is a stand up comedian and a standup guy who carried on. I think I would have run.
WILL SMITH WAS ALMOST ‘REMOVED’ FROM OSCARS AFTER VIRAL CHRIS ROCK SMACK: REPORT
Jaden Smith
Will and Jada's son tweeted "And That’s How We Do It" in response to the viral moment.
Jameela Jamil
The "Good Place" alum tweeted, "Will Smith said ‘Not Today,'" and posted a Malcolm X quote. "A man big enough to absolutely floor him, slapped him softly enough that Chris barely moved, because he made fun of his wife’s alopecia on a world stage. Don’t say #protectBlackwomen for two years and then only condemn Will here. Come on…"
Rosie O’Donnell
"So upsetting - on every level - bravo to Chris Rock - for not eviscerating will smith - which he could do any day of the week - he walked away - bravo from a sad display of toxic masculinity from a narcissistic madman," the actress tweeted, adding the hashtags, "#Oscars2022" and "#chrisROCK."
JON VOIGHT DEFENDS WILL SMITH AFTER SLAP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD: 'HE'S A GREAT MAN'
Nicki Minaj
"I love Chris Rock. I don’t think he would’ve made that joke had he known what Jada recently shared- but between him & the whole team @ the #Oscars you mean to tell me not ONE of y’all heard this woman just share this heartbreaking story? #ComeOnSon," the "Moment for Life" rapper wrote on Twitter. " .... You just got to witness in real time what happens in a man’s soul when he looks over to the woman he loves & sees her holding back tears from a ‘little joke’ at her expense. This is what any & every real man feels in that instant. while y’all seeing the joke he’s seeing her pain."
Kathy Griffin
"Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a comedian," tweeted the funnywoman. "Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters."
ACADEMY CONDEMNS WILL SMITH'S ACTIONS, LAUNCHING FORMAL REVIEW OF CHRIS ROCK SLAP
Steph Curry
"This was loud!!! Like that slap on that other channel," wrote the NBA star.
Maria Shriver
"#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent. Love is not what was displayed on a global stage tonight. We should never get to a place where we sit and watch a movie star hit someone on global television then, moments later, get a standing ovation while talking about love."
(Getty/ABC)
Tiffany Haddish
Meanwhile, Pinkett Smith’s "Girls Trip" co-star actress and fellow comedian Tiffany Haddish told People: "When I saw a Black man stand up for his wife. That meant so much to me. As a woman, who has been unprotected, for someone to say, ‘Keep my wife’s name out your mouth, leave my wife alone,’ that’s what your husband is supposed to do, right? Protect you."
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She continued: "That meant the world to me. And maybe the world might not like how it went down, but for me, it was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen because it made me believe that there are still men out there that love and care about their women, their wives."
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