Will Smith had a hard time following the widely controversial Oscar slap moment. From his projects being put on hold to wide internet backlash, the star had to go through a lot. The 54-year-old actor is even banned from the Academy for a decade following the controversy. When Smith recently visited The Daily Show to speak to Trevor Noah, he elaborated on the whole incident and revealed how the incident even affected his relationship with his family.
During the conversation with Trevor Noah, Will Smith revealed many details about what led him ultimately to slap Chris Rock over a joke. He explains that many things were going on in his mind that ultimately led him to be someone he never wanted to be.
Will Smith reveals a painful post-Oscar experience
The internet got widely divided following the Oscar controversy when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock over a joke that was targeted at his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. When the comedian joked about a medical condition suffered by her, the Alladin actor lost his cool and went up the stage to slap him hard and yell slurs.
After the incident, the actor has repeatedly issued many apologies for his actions and also opened up about how that incident was a result of several factors unknown to most of the world. The star recently appeared on The Daily Show and the interview headlined heavily as many untold stories came out.
Speaking about the aftermath of the incident, Will Smith stated how he got humiliated by his own nephew for that incident.
“My nephew is nine. He is the sweetest little boy. We came home. He had stayed up late to see his uncle Will and we are sitting in my kitchen and he is on my lap and he is holding the Oscar and he is just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’ Damn it. Why are you trying to Oprah me?”
It can be understood how the situation must have gone for him with a question like that coming from a 9-year-old. But according to Smith, there are “nuances and complexities” to his actions and he just lost everything that night. On the other side, Trevor Noah also added that he knows Smith for a long time and was certain that he is a far better human being than what we saw at the Oscars. He presented a very human side to the actor’s actions and openly stated that many people overreacted to the incident.
How is Will Smith’s return to the big screens after the incident?
After all the controversies and internet fiasco, Will Smith has finally returned to the big screens with his Emancipation. The movie is based on the life of a slave who escapes from a plantation in Louisiana.
Even though the critics didn’t deny praising the performance of Smith, the movie garnered mixed to negative reactions from all around. The handling of real-life incidents has been criticized heavily. So it can be said that it was not the ideal project for the King Richard actor’s comeback but the fans still have high hopes for his future. Smith is currently working on a project titled Pole to Pole for National Geographic. More details about the series are yet to be revealed.
Emancipation can be streamed on Apple TV+.
Source: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
