Will Smith Shares Thoughts About 10-Year Ban From the Oscars

It’s been a while since we last saw Will Smith walking up on stage to accept an Oscar for his role in King Richard, but it seems like the slap he gave Chris Rock back in March is still very much on people’s minds.

During a recent appearance on The Daily Show, the actor opened up about the incident, which received a lot of attention and resulted in him being handed a 10-year ban from the Academy Awards. Though he didn’t reveal any details about the upcoming investigation or what his punishment might be, Smith did share his thoughts on the situation.

“I just think that whenever you have that much power, and you’re able to make such a statement to so many people, it’s just important to be careful,” he told host Trevor Noah.

Looking back at that night, Smith added, “There’s a part of me that feels like I owe you all an apology, because I know that people are hurting, and I know that people feel excluded and like they don’t belong, and that’s truly my biggest takeaway from that night, is just how much pain people were in that watched that back.”

While Smith didn’t reveal any more about the night in question, he did touch upon the subject of forgiveness, saying that “when we forgive ourselves, that’s actually where true change and transformation can begin.”

The Academy has yet to reveal any details about the investigation into the incident, but Smith has been busy promoting his new film, I Am Legend, which is set to be released this weekend.