Slow Horses creator Will Smith used the opening of his acceptance speech at the 2024 Emmys to poke fun at actor Will Smith‘s infamous Oscars slap.
“Despite my name, I come in peace,” the screenwriter, 53, said on Sunday, September 15, after winning the award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.
This was the first win for Slow Horses at this year’s Emmys after the Apple TV+ show was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, Outstanding Picture Editing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Music Composition for a Series.
Showrunner Will’s clarification that he isn’t the 55-year-old actor comes two years after Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith at the 2022 Oscars, resulting in Will slapping Rock on stage.
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Will issued an apology for his “unacceptable and inexcusable” actions, writing via Instagram at the time, “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 behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us.”
In response to the incident, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed that Smith would be banned from all Oscars events for 10 years following his resignation from the organization. Will later addressed the situation in an emotional video.
“I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” he explained in the July 2022 YouTube clip. “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now. But I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
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Will noted that he attempted to get in contact with Rock. “The message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. And when he is, he will reach out,” he continued. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk. … I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s–t. I am deeply remorseful and I am trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. Right? I’m human and I made a mistake.”
During the video, Will made it clear that Pinkett Smith, 52, did not influence his decision to slap Rock.
“I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it,” he shared, before addressing why he didn’t apologize during his acceptance speech that same night. “I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy.”
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Pinkett Smith has since explained that she didn’t initially understand what was going on.
“I thought, ‘This is a skit.’ I was like, ‘There’s no way that Will hit him,’” Pinkett Smith recalled to People in October 2023. “It wasn’t until Will started to walk back to his chair that I even realized it wasn’t a skit. I’m going to be by his side but also allow him to have to figure this out for himself.”
Pinkett Smith confirmed at the time that she was currently separated from Will — and have been since before he slapped Rock.
“We’re still figuring it out,” the actress, who shares kids Jaden, 26, and Willow, 23, with Will added. “We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us.”
