Photo: Patrick T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
As the anniversary of Will Smith’s Oscar slap approaches, last year’s Best Actor Oscar winner has decided he’s moved beyond the apologies-reconciliation phase and into the self-deprecating charm phase of the scandal. And honestly, it’s the only slap commentary that’s even remotely entertaining.
He’s kept a low profile since Smith beat Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. After enjoying a brief victory lap for just one night, the actor apologized on Instagram and pulled out while the public openly debated his outburst. He spoke out publicly in the weeks that followed after the Academy announced he would be banned from attending the awards for the next decade, but didn’t address the issue publicly again until July, when he held a question and answer session with fans on TikTok, and then again in November when he stopped by The Daily Show to promote his new film, Emancipation. At the time, Smith was contrite, admitting he “lost it” and saying, “That’s not who I want to be.”
Now, four months later, the actor appears to be done with the apology tour. This week he shared a video on TikTok and Instagram that appeared to mock his actions. “Did you know you can select any item, look at it and ask what it thinks of you?” creator @missmoneyworking advised in a TikTok. Well, Smith thought this idea might be an interesting exercise, so he took stitches. In the clip, he slowly picks up his Oscar, looks at it a little confused, and then turns to the camera without a word.
What the Oscar told him we’ll never know. (“I think his Oscar just thinks he’s cool,” @missmoneyworking, the original poster, theorized on Instagram.) What I do know is that this TikTok is probably the best Oscar gossip joke this awards season . The Oscars air March 12, and based on the awards shows so far — Eddie Murphy at the Golden Globes, Richard E. Grant at the BAFTAs — the jokes are far from over. Even Oscar presenter Jimmy Kimmel referred to the slap in one Promotion for the awards. A TikTok from Smith won’t stop her, but, hey, a girl can dream.
Keep in touch.
Get the Cut newsletter delivered daily
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice