Reports from a new source have suggested that Will Smith tried to make peace with Chris Rock for his misdemeanor last year, but hasn’t been successful so far. This comes after the 94th Academy Awards in 2022, during which the Men in Black actor walked up to the comedian on the stage and slapped him across the face for his insensitive joke regarding Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia.
It just so happens that Smith received the Oscar for Best Actor owing to his role in the movie King Richard an hour after the incident took place, but he later resigned from the Academy membership. Additionally, the 54-year-old actor was also banned from appearing at any event related to the Academy for 10 years, amidst violent backlash from other members of the industry.
Chris Rock has addressed the issue in his Netflix special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage. However, according to a source that contacted PEOPLE, Will Smith’s intention of repairing his bond with Chris Rock has come to light.
The ongoing feud between Chris Rock and Will Smith trends
The source has informed that Smith has “felt terrible for so long” about the incident and since then has tried, albeit, “unsuccessfully” to “make amends in the best way he could with Chris.” The actor also made a video apology last year in July addressing the issue, where he stated that his behavior at the Oscars was “unacceptable.”
The source also added to the information by stating, “But beyond that, family is important to him and [Smith] leaned on them” in the wake of the occurrence.
“It all has helped him look inside and mature. He is better but still remorseful……Will listened to those who tried to help him and feels that he has become a better person,” the source continued.
The “Outrage” of Chris Rock on His Netflix Special
Smith’s highly publicized slap to Rock was not an easy pill to swallow for the latter who spoke about it without holding much back in his Netflix Comedy Special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage. In the show that went live on Saturday, Rock, addressed the assault by stating that he “is not a victim.”
The was filmed in Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre. This was the first live broadcast by Netflix where the 58-year-old comedian brought his segment to an end by performing a piece on the Oscar incident. Additionally, Rock also slammed Smith and his marriage to Pinkett-Smith, using the show’s title in reference to the actor.
Rock, in his jokes on Smith, said, “Will Smith practices selective outrage,” adding, “Everybody that really knows knows I had nothing to do with s***. I didn’t have any “entanglements.”
The comedian had referred to the July 2020, “Red Table Talk” segment in which Pinkett-Smith had revealed her “entanglement” with singer August Alsina several years ago. This was when she and Smith were on a break.
This had allegedly taken place sometime in 2015 when Jada attended the Wireless Festival in London to show her support to her kids Willow and Jaden, who were both performing in it. It was at this event that the then 43-year-old actress met the R&B singer who was 22 at the time.
Rock, during the show, mentioned that Smith was called a “b***h” by “everybody in the world,” after the segment on Jada aired. Later he addressed Smith as a “b***h” several times, joking, “Everybody. And who’s he hit? Me, a n**** he knows he can beat. That is some b***h-a**-s***.”
So that was it on the feud between Chris Rock and Will Smith! Do let us know your opinions about it in the comments below!
