Will Smith rejects claims wife Jada Pinkett Smith asked him to slap Chris Rock at Oscars

Will Smith opened up on the shocking 2022 Oscars slap controversy in his first on-camera apology to comedian Chris Rock since the incident.

The King Richard actor, who slapped Rock on the Oscars stage after he made a joke in reference to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, released a YouTube video, It's Been A Minute on Friday and answered fans’ questions about the incident.

While addressing the shocking altercation, the Pursuit of Happyness actor, 53, denied claims that his wife Jada asked him to act on her behalf.

“After Jada rolled her eyes, did she tell you to do something?” said the Gemini Man star, reading one of the fans questions aloud.

“No,” Smith clarified. “It's like, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris.

He said that the decision to slap Rock was his alone. “Jada had nothing to do with it. I'm sorry, babe.”

In the video, Smith also said that he has "reached out" to Rock after the incident, but the comedian has said he is "not ready to talk".

"Chris, I apologise to you. My behaviour was unacceptable," he said. "I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."