Actor Will Smith has apologised to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him on stage at Sunday night's Oscars ceremony.
Rock was presenting an award during the show when he made a joke about Smith's wife Jada's appearance. Will Smith then walked on to the stage and slapped Chris Rock before shouting back at him to "leave my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth".
Smith has now shown remorse for the incident by releasing a statement saying "I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong."
He continued by saying, "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 a part of the job, but a joke about Jada's medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally."
Jada Pinkett-Smith suffers from alopecia which causes hair loss. Rock's joke made reference to her shaved head.
Following the shocking moment, Will Smith went on to win the Oscar for Leading Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena, in the biopic "King Richard".
As part of his statement Smith also apologised to the Williams family as well as the Academy.
The Academy condemned Will's actions on the night saying they do not condone violence and have launched a review saying, "We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law".
You can read the full statement on Will Smith's Instagram here:
