Will Smith shocked the whole world when he stormed the 2022 Oscars stage to slap Chris Rock over the joke the latter made about the Best Actor winner's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. However, before The Fresh Prince issued an apology to the comedian, Sean "Diddy" Combs claimed the two had already made amends.
Diddy graced the Vanity Fair Oscars bash Sunday night and revealed Will Smith and Chris Rock had already "let bygones be bygones." So, how true was this claim?
Page Six exclusively revealed the 52-year-old rapper's claim, stressing the altercation between the two actors was finally over. "That's not a problem. I can confirm that," he said.
Though he didn't give more details about how they reconciled, the important thing is they're now amicable. "It's all love. They're brothers," Diddy added.
A source confirmed the "I'll Be Missing You" hitmaker talked to both Will Smith and Chris Rock separately after what happened. However, the two were said to be not on speaking terms.
In addition, hours before the alleged reconciliation, an insider revealed the duo had "arranged to work out their issues" after the Academy Awards. However, at the time, the "King Richard" star had issued an apology to everyone, but not to the stand-up comedian when he accepted his Best Actor award.
But after a day, Will Smith made a public apology to say sorry to Chris Rock. In a lengthy post on Instagram on Monday, the 53-year-old star admitted he was wrong for hitting the former "Saturday Night Live" cast onstage.
He said his behavior at the award's night was "unacceptable and inexcusable." He added that jokes about him were part of the job, but the jokes made about his wife's medical condition were too much for him to bear, revealing he reacted emotionally.
He then issued a public apology to Chris Rock, adding he was out of line and wrong. He continued he was embarrassed about his actions and what he did was not indicative of the man he wanted to be.
Will Smith also apologized to the show's producers, attendees, and everyone watching at home globally at the time. He also said sorry to the Williams Family and his "King Richard" family for staining what could have been a "gorgeous journey" for all of them.
He ended his note by saying he was a work in progress. The controversy began when Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair, saying he couldn't wait to see her in "G.I. Jane 2," referencing her shaved hair, matching Demi Moor's bald head in the movie "G.I. Jane."
The "Red Table Talk" has been open about her battle against alopecia, which resulted in her bald head. So, when Chris Rock delivered his joke about her hair, she was unamused and rolled her eyes. From there, Will Smith went up the stage to hit Chris Rock.
