Will Smith has found himself in a fairly “interesting” position over these past several months. After Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March, the actor opted to lay low and reportedly work on himself. Smith broke his silence on the slap in July, however, and formally apologized to Rock. Aside from that apology video, the star had been relatively quiet on social media, until he recently took to one of his socials to drop a new post. And it’s actually pretty funny in a self-deprecating sort of way.
The King Richard star has always been witty, and that attribute certainly shone through in his latest Instagram post. He specifically poked fun at his desire to jump back into his pre-slap social media activity and did so by sharing a video that some Internet users might recognize. You can check it out for yourself down below:
It’s honestly hard not to at least chuckle at the clip the Bad Boys alum shared, especially since it does sum up his current situation in a pretty accurate way. If anything, this post represents a major step for him as he attempts to settle back into the public eye. As of this writing, the post has well over 1.2 million likes and features a slew of comments from fans and celebrities alike, many of which seem to appreciate the star’s humorous jab at himself. Whether this post reinvigorates his social media presence remains to be seen but, as of right, it seems that many are happy to see him online again with a post that’s not too emotionally heavy.
As of late, there’s been further evidence to suggest that Will Smith is exiting his self-imposed exile. He and wife Jada Pinkett Smith were recently photographed enjoying an afternoon date to Nobu Malibu – their first public outing since March. The two seemed to be in good spirits, with Will even flashing a peace sign to a fan. This excursion and his recent Instagram post would indicate that the actor is taking things easy months after the televised awards show incident.
The Academy Award winner slapped Chris Rock (who was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature) after the comedian made a joke about his spouse. Rock declined to press charges following the incident. After apologizing to the public at large the following week, Will Smith resigned from the Academy, which subsequently banned him for a decade as punishment for the slap. Smith also experienced delays and setbacks with upcoming projects amid the controversy.
Meanwhile, Chris Rock has worked a number of gigs post-slap, including a show at Madison Square Garden that included Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle. As for where Rock stands with Will Smith, he reportedly has no plans to reach out to him. And though he’s yet to formally open up about the slap, Rock seemingly responded to Smith’s apology through his stand-up act.
Fans probably shouldn’t hold their collective breath when it comes to a heart-to-heart between Chris Rock and Will Smith, if the reports are indeed true. But until such a thing actually happens, there’s a firm chance that Smith could entertain them with more self-deprecating social media commentary.
