While the Academy Awards occurred back in March, the conversation surrounding the event hasn’t slowed down much. This is, of course, due to Will Smith infamously walking on stage and slapping Chris Rock on national television, shortly before winning the Best Actor award. The fallout has continued for months, with Smith recently making a long apology video online. And while Rock might have been blunt about that apology onstage, it seems like it was good for Will Smith.
At the end of July, Will Smith broke his social media silence and posted a long apology video to the public and Chris Rock for his actions at the Academy Awards. The comic didn’t seem to take kindly to this apology, bluntly addressing it during his stand-up act. But per a report by ET, Smith might be feeling some relief after that apology video was posted. As an anonymous source reportedly close to the Smiths was quoted:
Will is feeling much more confident and much more positive and less depressed. He was in very low spirits prior to making his public apology. He feels less ashamed now and more comfortable being out and about in public again because he has and continues to do the work that needs to be done for himself, his wife, his family, his friends, his colleagues, his fans, The Academy, Chris and Chris' family.
Well, there you have it. It looks like Will Smith is feeling a bit lighter after giving his latest apology to the public and Chris Rock. Prior to that, Smith hadn’t posted on social media at all or even been seen in public for the months after the Oscars. We’ll just have to see if he and Chris Rock ever find common ground in the future.
That anonymous source’s comments to ET make a great deal of sense, as Will Smith made his first public appearance shortly after releasing the apology video to the masses. While he still has a number of projects that are up in the air, it seems that Smith has at least been feeling better interpersonally, before his professional comeback begins.
As previously mentioned, Chris Rock didn’t respond well to Will Smith’s viral apology video. The 57 year-old comic is currently touring with his stand-up show, which occasionally will reference The Slap. Following Smith’s apology, Rock said the following on stage:
Fuck your hostage video.
While Will Smith might be feeling less depressed, it sounds like the road to a reunion with Chris Rock is going to be a long one. It’s hard to imagine either of the celebrities ever truly being free from their association with The Slap. Rock was humiliated on stage during the viral moment in time, for a joke he didn’t seem to think was all that offensive.
As previously mentioned, Chris Rock is keeping busy with his stand-up show. As for Will Smith, it’s unclear when his next movie Emancipation will finally be released. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
