Four months after 'The Slap,' Will Smith answers fan questions in apology video
"I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I'm human."
"It's been a minute..."
As nearly everyone with internet access knows, Will Smith made headlines for slapping comedian Chris Rock during a live taping of the 94th annual Oscars ceremony. The slap came after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss reportedly caused by alopecia.
Four months following the incident, Smith has released a video showing a formal, official apology to Rock.
“It’s been a minute…Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work…” the onscreen text read before Smith became visible.
During the video, Smith addressed why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech while claiming the “Best Actor” award for his role in “King Richard.” The actor admitted to being “fogged out” during the moment, but has since reached out to Rock to open up a dialogue about what happened.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out,” Smith said in the video.
He then apologized to Rock’s mother, after seeing an interview she did. “I didn’t realize how many people got hurt in that moment.”
Getting emotional, Smith shared, “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith also spoke to the theory that Pinkett Smith’s alleged eye roll caught on camera prompted him to get aggressive. Smith took full ownership for his actions, saying, “I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences.” Where Smith confessed that his prior choice “hurts, psychologically and emotionally,” he is doing everything he can to “be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I'm human.”
The five-minute video concluded with Smith vowing to transform a mistake into a growth opportunity.
To his disappointed fans, he promised that he would be “deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world. And, you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again.”
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."