Will Smith will forever be known for slapping Chris Rock across the face at the 2022 Oscars — and at what price?
The famous actor is reportedly feeling the consequences of his actions three years after things turned violent when the Everybody Hates Chris star cracked a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith .
“Will is facing reality at the moment, and even if he never speaks about ‘the slap’ again publicly, he’s dealing with the ongoing, long-tail consequences of it privately and adjusting his business accordingly,” a source recently spilled to a news publication of the Bad Boys actor, 56.
The insider continued: “He’s not an idiot and he knows he’ll never be able to just sweep this incident under the rug. It’s still following him everywhere. But he wants to continue to be a movie star, and he still has some of the best instincts in the business when it comes to scripts, projects, filmmakers and marketing.”
The confidante went on to doubt Will’s ability to make a successful comeback in Hollywood as a result of the incident.
“The reality is, it’s going to be hard for him to make non- Bad Boys projects going forward, and he’s going to have to bring more than his legendary charisma to the table to get films greenlit, especially at the budget level he would prefer,” the source explained. “Plus, he’s really down to his last franchise with Bad Boys and he’s going to have to keep making more of those movies too, which isn’t a walk in the park when you’re over 50.”
The repercussions of Will striking Chris on live television have reportedly made The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star look for jobs elsewhere around the world.
“That’s why you have Will showing up in somewhat controversial territories like Saudi Arabia — these aren’t relaxing vacations, he’s going where the money is because he wants to keep making blockbusters,” the insider claimed.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that there’s a black cloud hanging over him constantly and there are swaths of name talent that don’t want anything to do with him after what he did to Chris Rock ,” the confidante added. “The only real path Will has is to keep betting on himself and his choices and hope that fans show up. They did for Bad Boys: Ride or Die but the real test of his enduring appeal, or lack thereof, comes when he doesn’t have that franchise to lean on. Like it or not, that day is coming soon.”
After slapping the 2022 Oscars host three years ago, Will was banned from returning to the Academy Awards for 10 years due to his “unacceptable and harmful behavior,” former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson revealed in a statement that April.
At the time, Will said he “accepts and respects the Academy’s decision.”
