Rock has made subtle nods to the hit in comedy shows in the months since, but he hasn’t talked about it extensively in public. During his performance on Friday, he did the same.
“Everyone is trying to be a fucking victim. If everyone claims to be a victim, no one will hear the real victims,” Rock said. “Even if Suge Smith hit me… I went to work the next day, I had kids.”
He later joked, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Smith stormed onto the stage and punched Rock after he joked about the haircut of his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia.
In the video posted to his social media accounts, a solemn Smith begins with an on-screen message: “Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot and doing personal work. … You’ve asked a lot of honest questions that I’ve spent some time wanted to take to answer,” it reads.
Smith sighs, then gives his take on an altercation that made headlines worldwide and tarnished his image.
He explains why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for Best Actor in ‘King Richard’.
“I was foggy at the time,” he says. “It’s all vague.”
Smith says he has tried to contact Rock, but has indicated that he is not ready to talk yet and will contact him if he is.
“So I’ll say to you Chris, I apologize. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you want to talk.”
“We had a great relationship,” Smith says. Tony Rock was my husband and this is probably irreparable.
Smith also apologizes to his wife, their children and his fellow Academy Award nominees.
“Disappointing people is my central trauma,” he says. “I hate when I disappoint people, so it hurts.”
Smith sends a message to his supporters saying that he is committed to “bringing light, love and joy into the world”.
“If you hold on, I promise we can be friends again,” he concludes.