Will Smith Discusses The Oscar Slap Incident While Promoting His New Film 

Will Smith is still concerned about his career months after the Oscar incident.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Will Smith discusses the Oscars night where he won his first-ever Oscar and received the contentious slap that would have destroyed everything in advance of his forthcoming movie, “Emancipation.”

The well-known actor visited Trevor Noah’s “The Daily Show” on Monday night to discuss his most recent film and expressed his hope that his confrontation with Chris Rock wouldn’t have an impact on how audiences would react to the new release.

“The idea that they might be denied because of me,” said Smith as he groaned. “That is killing me dead … I hope that their work will be honored and their work will not be tainted based on a horrific decision on my part. The people on this team have done some of the best work of their entire careers, and my deepest hope is that my actions don’t penalize my team. At this point, that’s what I’m working for.”

The actor revealed what transpired on the dramatic Oscars night as “horrific,” adding that he lost his composure.

“I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through,” he told Noah’s audience.

He attached a portion of his response about his childhood at a later point in the conversation.

In his words, “It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother. All of that just bubbled up in that moment.”

Smith and Chris Rock got into a fight during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony.

Rock made light of Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance in “G.I. Jane” while on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary film.

Since of Jada’s shaved head, the joke elicited raucous laughing, but the laughter was fleeting because Smith was about to strike Rock in the face.

The Academy has taken disciplinary action as a result of the widespread criticism this response received.

Smith has been barred from all Academy functions for ten years as a result of the smack. Even if he receives an award nomination, the prohibition still applies.

Watch the Full interview: