Actor Will Smith has apologised to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him during Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, writing in a brief statement on Instagram that he was “out of line” and “wrong”.
The apology came hours after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it had launched a “formal review” of the incident. The group behind the film awards said in a statement on Monday that it “condemns the actions of Mr Smith at last night’s show”.
“We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our bylaws, standards of conduct and California law,” the Academy said.