Fans left divided over Will Smith’s ‘violence is poisonous’ apology to Chris Rock

'I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be'

Fans were left divided after Will Smith apologised for smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars ceremony, with the film star stating that "violence is poisonous." During Sunday's Oscar ceremony, moments before he collected his own award for best actor in King Richard,  Smith, 53, slapped comedian Rock, 57, after he made an insensitive joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. Taking to Instagram to his 61.7m followers, Smith wrote: "Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior 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. https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1508270716063469576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1508270716063469576%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joe.co.uk%2Fentertainment%2F70-per-cent-of-people-believe-will-smith-should-be-allowed-to-keep-his-oscar-after-hitting-chris-rock-325986 "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. "I am a work in progress. [sic]" https://twitter.com/DellaMaher/status/1508372858820464643 Fans have been left divided by the apology, despite 70 per cent of JOE readers believing he should keep his Oscar. "He really didnt have to lol!" one fan wrote. Another said: "His agent forced him to say this there aint no way." Beneath his Facebook apology post, a fan said: "Control yourself next time! I respect you for this apology. It seems sincere. But it’s important to seek help." Not everyone criticised the i Robot star, with one emphasising: "Apology or no apology, I like what you did. In fact, I love it. (In Snoop Dogg's voice)"   Related links:

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• Will Smith may lose his Oscar for violating Academy's code of conduct after slapping Chris Rock