Chris Rock and Will Smith Reportedly Still Haven't Spoken Since Slap at Oscars Despite Diddy's Claims
In a move that captured the attention of most, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock while he was on stage at the 94th Academy Awards. A new report from TMZ now suggests nearly 24 hours after the slap in question first took place, the two have yet to speak with each other despite claims from Sean "Diddy" Combs the two have already made up. The tabloid, in fact, says the two have yet to "bury the hatchet."
Rock had made a joke about Smith's wife Jada starring in GI Jane 2 due to her shaved head, a result of an alopecia diagnosis nearly five years ago. Smith initially laughed at the joke before approaching Rock on the stage and slapping him.
"A source in Diddy's camp tells us he never claimed Chris and Will met up -- he spoke with them individually -- and then reiterated what he said on stage, the two are brothers and 'it's all love,'" TMZ says in its report.
Moments after the slap, Smith won an Oscar for Best Lead Actor. In his acceptance speech, he apologized to the Academy but not to Rock.
"I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I'm not crying for winning an award, it's not about winning an award for me. It's about being able to shine a light on all of the people [his cast and crew] of King Richard, Venus and Serena, the entire Williams family," Smith said during his acceptance speech.
He added, "Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things. To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but to my mother ... she's in Philly watching ... my family, my wife, I'm taking up too much time. Thank you for this honor, thank you for this moment, I thank you on behalf of Richard and the entire Williams family. I hope the Academy invites me back, thank you."
The Oscar win is Smith's first from three nominations. He was previously nominated for the same category for his roles in Ali (2002) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2006).