We have passed the era of the Oscars slap, but Will Smith’s actions continue to have repercussions to this day, the celebrated actor appeared to have acknowledged this recently when he said that he hoped the Oscars slap debacle would not affect those working on his Emancipation film.
Will Smith trended recently when he marched to the stage during the last Oscars and slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada’s alopecia. After slapping the comedian, he walked back to his seat in the audience, from where he warned the comedian to not put his mouth in anything concerning Jada.
Chris Rock was momentarily stunned by the slap. But he recovered soon enough to continue with the event. But Will Smith’s action reverberated around the world, with many condemning him for it. Although he later apologized, he was still slammed with a 10-year event ban and can no longer attend the awards for that period, whether in person or virtually.
During an interview, he noted that while he understands that people might not want him back on the circuit next year or anytime soon, his “deepest concern” is his team. He said he hoped his actions don’t lead to the team being penalized.
