| “ | In West Philadelphia, born and raised... | ” |
―One of Will Smith's most iconic lines, in the intro of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air | ||
Willard Carroll "Will" Smith Jr. (born: September 25, 1968) is an American actor, film producer, and musician, whose known for comedy or action films, and when it comes to music, rap and hip hop. He's undoubtedly best known for the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bell Air, which aired from 1990-1996, and ended with six seasons. That's how he got his start, however since then he's done tons of action and comedy films, often blending the two genres into one. Other notable works of his includes I Am Legend, Cobra Kai, All of Us, The Queen Latifa Show, and of course The Men in Black films, which he's almost as well known for as The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
As a rapper, he's released a total of four studio albums, including Big Willie Style, (1997), Willennium, (1999), Born to Reign, (2002), and Lost and Found, (2005), one compilation album, which is Greatest Hits, (2002), and one video album, which was The Will Smith Music Video Collection, (1999).
Family[]
Will Smith was married to Sheree Zampino from 1992 to 1995. He then married Jada Pinkett in 1997, and they're still together to this day. They have three children together, including Willow and Jaden Smith, both of which also became actors and rappers.
Jada and Will's marriage was referenced in J. Cole's 2015 single, 'No Role Modelz'. However, this line was later seen as ironic due to Jada admitting to cheating on Will with singer August Alsina, as well as controversy regarding her past relationship with the late rapper 2Pac.
Controversy[]
Assualting Chris Rock at the Oscars[]
During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, comedian Chris Rock was presenting the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature on stage when he made a joke about Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, about how she could have starred in a G.I. Jane sequel due to her shaved haircut, which was actually caused by alopecia. Will, Chris, the other nominees, and the audience initially laughed at the joke. However, the same can’t be said about Jada, who was visibly unimpressed and did not like the joke at all, causing Will to snap when he noticed her discomfort. As Chris continued to giggle and defend the joke, Will approached him on stage and slapped him in the face, before returning to his seat.[1]
Chris did not press assault charges against Will; instead, after being slapped, he exclaimed: "Oh wow, Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me!" After Will returned to his seat, he barked at Chris to "keep his wife's name out of his fucking mouth". Chris responded by continuing to double down on the joke, reminding him that "it was a G.I. Jane joke", before Will cussed Chris out a second time and restated his previous line. This finally resulted in Chris reluctantly agreeing to stop talking about Jada's haircut. After the fracas, Chris quipped: “That was the greatest night in the history of television," before continuing his speech uninterrupted.
Will's profanity was bleeped out on many global broadcasts due to censorship laws, but an uncensored version has also been uploaded on YouTube.
Aftermath[]
Immediately after the fracas, many journalists came to realize that Will's reaction to the joke was genuine, as he only slapped Chris due to Jada's disdain towards Chris's joke. Nonetheless, the incident was dubbed "The Slap Heard 'Round The World", as it overshadowed the remainder of the ceremony as well as Will's otherwise positive career.
After winning the Best Actor award for his performance as Richard Williams in King Richard later in the ceremony, Will apologized to the Academy; his fellow nominees; and Richard Williams's daughters, legendary tennis players Serena and Venus, who were both in attendance; for the incident. However, Will failed to apologize to Chris directly.[2][3][4]
Will would later apologize personally to Chris on an Instagram post. In this post, he stated that his behavior was unacceptable and inexcusable, and that he only slapped Chris because his joke crossed the line. Will also admitted that he was out of line and wrong when he slapped Chris, that he was embarrassed, that his actions were not indicative of the man that he wanted to be, and that there is "no place for violence in a world of love and kindness". In addition, Will apologized to the Academy, the producers of the show, the attendees, everyone who watched the show, Richard Williams's family, and his own fanbase for the incident. He regretted that his behavior negatively impacted what has otherwise been a positive career, and also admitted that he was a "work in progress".[5] Despite Will's effort in owning up to his actions, many YouTubers and streamers, such as Penguinz0, Pokimane, xQcOW, and AugieRFC, all reacted to the incident.[6]
On April 2, 2022, Will announced his resignation to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as he was expecting that he will face suspension or expulsion from the organization.[7] The Academy later released their statement in April 9, 2022 that they suspended Will on attending the Academy Awards or any events by the Academy for a decade. However, Will is still eligible for future Academy Award nominations and wins.[8]
On July 29, 2022, Will uploaded an apology video on YouTube, explaining what he has been up to ever since the incident ensued. He also apologized to Chris' mother, his family, and to everyone who expressed their disappointment with Will that said they looked up to him before he slapped Chris.[9]
Quotes[]
- "Yeah! It's rewind time!" (Will in the beginning of YouTube Rewind 2018)
- "If I could control rewind, I would want Fortnite and Marques Brownlee."
- "Oh, that's hot! That's hot!"
- "Keep my wife's name out your FUCKING MOUTH!" (Will yelling at Chris Rock shortly after slapping him at the 2022 Oscars, for making a bad joke about his wife)
- "Love will make you do crazy things."
- "I'm being called on in my life..."
- "Get out."
- "Ah!"
Trivia[]
- He has ADHD.[10]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/entertainment/will-smith-chris-rock/index.html
- ↑ https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/oscars-academy-awards-2022/card/will-smith-takes-to-oscar-stage-appears-to-strike-chris-rock-after-joke-about-jada-pinkett-smith-20Zr7QDygQqZ31fHDlCT
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-oscar-best-actor-apology-slap-king-richard-1235119288/
- ↑ https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/will-smith-appears-hit-chris-rock-joke-wife-rcna21775
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqmaY1p7Pz/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tn0DWnbjxg
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/will-smith-resigns-from-academy-membership-1235123801/
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/academy-bans-will-smith-from-oscars-ten-years-1235127331/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXrxDKwlA_s
- ↑ https://www.theadhdadvocate.com/celebrity-fact-sheet#:~:text=%E2%80%9CI've%20been%20on%20medication,I%20take%20medication%20for%20that.%E2%80%9D&text=Actor%20and%20Singer%20Will%20Smith,who%20had%20trouble%20paying%20attention%E2%80%9D.
