Will Smith To Address Oscars 'Slapgate' Controversy Ahead Of Hollywood Comeback

The 94th Academy Awards would have made for an overall momentous night for actor Will Smith, had the infamous Slapgate not taken place. Comedian Chris Rock, who was hosting the event, became the recipient of an appalling slap from Smith after delivering a joke on the expense of the latter's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Post the incident, Will Smith saw through a lone release in 2022 - historical action thriller Emancipation - following which he has been on a hiatus from the screen.

Is Will Smith going to address the Slapgate controversy?

As per a report by The Sun newspaper, Will Smith will be addressing the controversy which has significantly impacted his Hollywood legacy. News of this comes shortly before the actor is set to make his Hollywood comeback with buddy cop action comedy flick, Bad Boys: Ride or Die - not only is Smith featuring in the film along side Martin Lawrence, but has also produced it.

The source quoted in the report said, "This film is Will’s big comeback, and his team is going all out to get him out there. He will deal head-on with the slap and how he has changed since then. It’s likely he will also speak about his marriage to Jada, after they secretly split up more than six years ago. The slap is still a bit of an elephant in the room, and Will is going to tackle it head-on. He is booked to appear on a number of big US TV shows and will be an open book. People love a redemption story, and Will has done a lot of work on himself. He also has a huge fan base who want him back in the thick of the action".

A refresher on the Slapgate controversy

The 94th Academy Awards has gone down in the annals of Hollywood history, not as the celebrated night of the Oscars, but as the awards ceremony which saw Will Smith slap comedian Chris Rock, live. Rock, who was hosting the event, cracked a joke at the expense of Jada Pinkett Smith's alopecia, comparing her to G.I. Jane. In response, Will Smith walked up on stage and slapped the comedian across the face followed by the line, "Keep my wife's name out of your damn mouth".

Smith issued an apology to Rock the following day.