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Stephen A Smith Finds it Hard to Watch Will Smith’s Movies; Says He Needs to Address Controversial Slap with Chris Rock
Stephen A. Smith has stirred up the long, almost-forgotten pot of Chris Rock and Will Smith’s controversy. The First Take host also said Smith needs to explain himself to the “black community."
Just when we thought the drama between Will Smith and Chris Rock was over as Bad Boys: Ride or Die cruises to its peak, it seems Stephen A. Smith won't let us forget it that easily. On a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show/Podcast, the First Take host mentioned that he still finds it "hard" to go to one of Will Smith's movies
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What did Stephen A. Smith say about Will Smith?
Sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said that Will Smith has hurt his own reputation and needs to talk more openly about the slap incident.
Talking about the slap controversy, Stephen A. Smith said, "Will Smith apologized. I'm not saying he even has to apologize. I'm saying that while I watch him and Martin Lawrence promoting this movie, and I'm quite sure the reason he hasn't addressed it is because the studios don't want him to, and there's an obligation that you have with them.”
He further stated, “I get it. But somewhere along the way, he has to sit down and talk to the black community, and you see all the white people around Will Smith all you want to, Black folks have loved and revered this man for decades.”
Smith also reposted the video on Monday, on his X (formerly Twitter) account, saying, "Yep. I said it," and added, "But I have some additional thoughts."
For those who don't know about the Chris Rock and Will Smith issue, here's what you need to know:
The Will Smith-Chris Rock controversy
Two years after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 94th Academy Awards, the event still seems bizarre and awkward. The incident happened right after Rock joked about the hair of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has been open about her struggles with alopecia.
Back then, Smith walked up on stage and hit Rock, then went back to his seat and shouted—then yelled—"Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!"
Later, with tension still in the air, an emotional Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his role as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.
Did Will Smith apologize to Chris K?
Smith released a nearly six-minute video on his YouTube channel and Instagram, answering questions that came up after the incident, including why he didn't apologize to Rock in his speech.
“It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said. He continued, “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out so I will say to you Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
He also apologized to Rock’s mother. “One of the things about that moment, I just didn’t realize, I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment,” he said. Smith mentioned that the damage to his friendship with Rock’s brother Tony is “probably irreparable”.
The actor explained that he has spent the last three months “replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment” and although he won’t go into all the details now, he knows his actions were not right.
Smith also cleared up whether Jada suggested he should react. “It’s like, you know, I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,” he said, adding, “Jada had nothing to do with it.”
He then apologized to her and his family for the trouble he caused them. “It really breaks my heart to have stolen and have tarnished your moment,” he said to the other nominees and winners that night. The actor expressed, “I’m sorry really isn’t sufficient.”
When asked what he would say to those disappointed in him, he said that disappointing people is his biggest fear. The actor said, “I hate when I let people and it hurts. It hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to what people thought of me. The work I’m trying to do is that I’m deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I’m human. I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of shit.”
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