Will Smith seems to be back to business as usual.
The Bad Boys: Ride or Die star re-emerged into the spotlight in recent weeks to promote the film’s release, two years after he slapped comedian Chris Rock on the Oscars stage. The press tour for the film has gone over almost entirely without any mention of the “the incident,” as Smith visits show after show and does interview after interview, most with co-star Martin Lawrence by his side—and he hasn’t been directly asked about “The Slap” or Rock once. Even though, according to Smith’s Instagram, “This might be one of the biggest premieres I’ve EVER done!!”
Two years may have passed since “The Slap,” but the moment itself is still seared into the brains of a society that had never witnessed a moment quite like that on live television. That said, it’s been addressed ad nauseum: Smith has apologized for his behavior, and Rock got his verbal licks in with a Netflix special. It’s old news in theory, but it’s still on people’s minds, whether they support Smith’s comeback or not.
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Still, Smith hasn’t been asked about it in any recent interviews, even in Bad Boys press sit downs that lasted nearly a half hour—despite previous reports that he would be using this press tour to address his actions “head-on.” And while The Daily Beast has not been able to confirm suspicions that Smith’s PR team is leaning on interviewers to avoid the topic, they are certainly picking venues (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Hot Ones) that are not exactly known for their hard-hitting questions.
But how surprised should we really be? After all, there’s a million other things to ask an actor with such a storied career and string of success as Smith, and secondly, what else could possibly be said?
Many fans are eager to move on right along with Smith. They grew up with him—laughing along to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, watching him in theaters over the years as he made film after film, many of which are considered classics and were huge hits—and at a time when more and more big celebrities are accused of being serial abusers, his seemingly isolated violent outburst may be a lot easier for fans to forgive than it might’ve been in the past.
After all, several other Hollywood celebs who’ve allegedly done more damning things have been out and about in Hollywood. James Franco and Shia LaBeouf just shopped movies at Cannes, despite accusations made against Franco over the years and even though LaBeouf will be on trial later this year over accusations he “relentlessly abused” his ex-girlfriend, singer FKA twigs. Brad Pitt probably won’t be thrown out of any Hollywood shindigs any time soon, despite allegations of abuse his own family made against him in court documents. All three men have denied these claims, but the list goes on and on, and well beyond these examples.
To be sure, Smith’s transgression was one that took place in front of the whole world, in a venue and on a stage where one is normally very unlikely to witness a physical altercation, therefore making it far more visceral than alleged misbehavior behind closed doors. This is uncharted territory when it comes to Hollywood redemption arcs.
Further complicating the expectation that Smith would somehow be permanently canceled or disappear on his own is that his attack was not exactly unprovoked. He has many fans who felt that Rock shouldn’t have made the joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, and was lauded by some for defending his wife the way that he did.
The premiere of Bad Boys: Ride or Die has also given the public the first glimpse of Smith and Pinkett Smith together since their separation announcement.
Either way, Smith seems to be enjoying the light at the end of the tunnel, wherein he can bask in the glow of unwavering fan support. In the one interview where he was vaguely asked about his decision to “re-emerge,” on the radio show Ebro In The Morning, Smith went on a long rant in which he compared himself to a caterpillar that has turned into a butterfly without saying anything of note about why he was forced to lay low for so long.
The most compelling evidence that Smith has fully moved on from “The Slap,” however, comes in Bad Boys: Ride or Die itself. The new film contains a scene that seems to poke fun at the incident in which Smith is repeatedly slapped. The moment that nearly took down his A-list career is now officially a joke.
