Will Smith made headlines in 2022 after he slapped comedian Chris Rock, who was hosting the 94th Academy Awards, for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Chris Rock, unaware of Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition, made a joke about her bald head and Smith was not happy about it.
The Oscars slap became the talk of the town, with many social media users digging up Wil Smith’s past. This wasn’t the first time Smith lost his cool in public. In 2012, Smith slapped a reporter, who played a lame prank on the actor.
Will Smith once slapped a reporter
Back in 2012, actor Will Smith was in Moscow for the premiere of his film, Men in Black 3. On the red carpet, Smith was approached by a Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk who wanted to prank the actor.
As Sediuk hugged the actor he tried to kiss him and Smith quickly pushed him away and slapped him with the back of his hand, saying, “What the hell is your problem, buddy?” It was clear that the prankster just wanted Smith’s reaction so he can garner views on the internet and the incident obviously made Smith very uncomfortable.
The reporter apologized to Will Smith
After the incident, Will Smith appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman and revealed what the reporter told him,
“‘I’m your biggest fan, can I have a hug?’ So I go to give this joker a hug, and he tries to lean in and kiss me!”
The prankster later apologized to the actor but repeated this same prank on many male celebrities. After a video of Smith’s encounter with this prankster went viral, many fans claimed that Smith’s reaction was valid as the prank was indeed very disgusting.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage
All these videos resurfaced on social media after Smith slapped Chris Rock in March 2022. While hosting the 94th Academy Awards, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, which was due to a medical condition known as alopecia areata.
The comedian compared her to Demi Moore’s character from G.I. Jane (1997) and Smith didn’t like the joke as he went up the stage, slapped Chris Rock, and told him, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth!”
Smith later won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard and received a standing ovation. He was eventually banned from attending the event for 10 years.
Source: YouTube
