Will Smith apology to Chris Rock dubbed ‘staged’: ‘Not the goodness of his heart’

Will Smith apology to comedian Chris Rock following the Oscars 2022 drama looked like “staged” as an insider said that he didn’t do it “from the goodness of his heart.”

A Hollywood comedian insider told Page Six that the King Richard actor’s video apology is “too little, too late,” and that he only did it to safeguard his career.

“He didn’t do this from the goodness of his heart,” the insider said. “Will has realized he is not as popular as he used to be, that the furor of ‘the slap’ is not going away, and he really has done lasting damage to his career.”

“People just don’t forget that Will Smith assaulted someone on national television, then went out and partied like a rock star at the Vanity Fair party,” the outlet shared.

In his video, the 53-year-old actor finally addressed his headline making move during the Academy Awards when he went on stage and slapped Rock over a joke he cracked on Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

The actor said that he did not apologize to Rock in his Best Actor acceptance speech later that evening because he was “fogged out” after the incident happened during the prestigious ceremony.

“I reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, but when he is, he will reach out,” Smith could be heard saying in the video.

“I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” he added.

At one point in the clip, the actor also said, “I’m human, and I made a mistake, and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of (expletive).”

However, the insider noted that the video “looks like it was staged by a team of therapists and publicists,” adding, “Even the set looks like a bad psychiatrist’s office. It seems disingenuous.”

“But the message appears to be clear to everyone in comedy — Will still needs a lot more therapy,” the insider said before asking, “Why is Will apologizing now? What happened that opened his eyes? Where has he been hiding?”

“Or is it that Will read the coverage of Chris’ shows and finally felt he had to formally address it for his own career?” the Hollywood insider added, “This is all so manufactured.”