Will Smith Spoke With Academy Bosses About Oscars Slap Before Emergency Board Meeting

Will Smith apologised to the Academy over a Zoom call after hitting Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony, according to new reports.

As you surely must know by now, the 53-year-old stole the show at the event last weekend, hitting comedian Rock across the chops before picking up the coveted Best Actor award for his role in King Richard.

During his acceptance speech, he apologised to the Academy for his behaviour, and he subsequently issued another apology in a statement shared on Instagram.

Now it has been revealed that he also shared a call with the Academy over Zoom to express his remorse.

In case you somehow haven't seen the slap yet – or just want to watch it again – here it is:

On Tuesday, 29 March, the actor apparently met with members of the Academy on Zoom - including Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson - according to individuals with knowledge of the matter, Variety reports.

A source told the outlet the call lasted for around 30 minutes, though Deadline reports that it was only a six-minute long chat.

Smith is said to have apologised for a second time during the call, as well as acknowledging there would be consequences for his actions, and trying to offer an explanation as to why he stormed on stage and hit Rock.

Meanwhile, Rubin and Hudson informed Smith a meeting with the Academy's Board of Governors would be taking place to determine what action would be taken against Smith as a result of his actions.

The governors held their emergency meeting to discuss the events on Wednesday, and attendees are now claiming the talk with Smith the day before was never mentioned.

One source at the meeting, cited by Deadline, asked: "Why would they keep this from us? It only contributes to an atmosphere of suspicion and lack of leadership."

Another Academy member asked: "What else don’t we know about what’s happening or what happened on Sunday? This lack of transparency undermines our ability to come to a suitable resolution to the whole thing."

UNILAD has reached out to Smith and the Academy for comment.

Smith issued a public apology in the wake of the incident, writing: "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.

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.

"There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

He continued: "I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard family.

"I deeply regret that my behaviour has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.

"I am a work in progress."

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]

Topics: Celebrity, Will Smith, Film and TV

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey