Actor Will Smith on Friday again apologised to comedian Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscars ceremony in March for making a joke about his wife.

The 53-year-old actor posted a nearly six-minute video on his YouTube channel saying that his behavior was unacceptable.

“And I’m here, whenever you’re ready to talk,” he told Rock. “Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work.”

Smith said that he wanted to take some time before he spoke about the moment that has tarnished his public image.

Responding to a question on why he did not apologise to Rock during the acceptance speech, Smith said: “I was fogged out by that point.”

Smith said he has reached out to Rock but heard back that he was not ready to talk about the incident.

“Chris, I apologise to you,” he continued saying while looking into the camera. “I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

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The actor also apologised to Rock’s mother who had in April said, “When he slapped Chris, he slapped all of us. He really slapped me.”

Referring to her comments, Smith said, “I didn’t realise how many people got hurt in that moment.”

“I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” he said. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment.”

Smith addressed another question on whether he slapped Rock after his wife Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes and told him to do something.

“No, I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences, from my history with Chris, Jada had nothing to do with it,” he said.

Smith also apologised to his wife, his children and his family for his behaviour.

“I am deeply remorseful and I am trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself,” he added.

At the Academy Award ceremony in March, Smith smacked Rock for joking that his wife was apt for the next GI Jane movie – a seeming a reference to her tonsured head. She shaved her head in 2021 following a diagnosis of alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss.

After the incident, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, issued a statement on Twitter that it “does not condone violence of any form”.

The next day, Smith said he was “out of line” and apologised to Rock in an Instagram post.

“I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be,” he said. “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

In April, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. This meant that Smith will no longer be able to vote on Oscar-nominated movies and performances. His work, however, will still be eligible for future Oscars consideration and nominations.

Smith was also banned from Oscars and other events organised by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for 10 years.