Will Smith opens up about how boxing champ Floyd Mayweather Jr. stepped in to be a friend following the Oscars slap fiasco that had everyone in a chokehold. Find out how their bromance blossomed inside…
At the 94th Academy Awards seven months ago, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped presenter/comedian Chris Rock for cracking unscripted jokes about his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s bald head.
The slap sparked an avalanche of media scrutiny, prompting Will Smith to resign from the Academy and receive a 10-year event ban from all Oscar activities.
Outside of his apology video, which he posted a few months after the slap heard around the world, the Hollywood veteran hasn’t said much about the slap since. That all changed at a private screening of his new film.
During a private screening of his new Emancipation movie at The London hotel in West Hollywood, the Oscar winner shared how Floyd checked in on him for 10 days straight to make sure he was good. Before “the slap,” Will said he and Floyd, who was in attendance, were cool, but they weren’t actually friends. That all changed.
”I want to say something also about Floyd,” Will said in a clip obtained by TMZ. “So, we’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends. And the day after the Oscars, for 10 days, he called me everyday. He was like, ‘Aye, you know you the champ right? You good? You know you the champ right? I want you to hear my voice say it.’ Everyday he called me and it’s like – that’s my dude forever right there,” Will continued.
Watch the clip below:
Will Smith gave a private screen of Emancipation to @FloydMayweather last night. Will told a story — Floyd called him 10 days straight after Oscars incident w/ Chris Rock. At the time, Floyd & Will were just acquaintances, but Mayweather was concerned about Smith. A good friend. pic.twitter.com/r2OwBusGN2
— michael j. babcock (@mikejbabcock) October 28, 2022
Will also hosted another private screening where Dave Chappelle, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Tyler Perry, Kenya Barris and more were in attendance. Check it out HERE.
Emancipation premieres in theaters on Dec. 2nd and will stream on Apple TV+ starting Dec. 9th. Peep the trailer below:
Also…
Sports journalist Jemele Hill and her mother Denise pulled up to the red table for an emotional new episode of “Red Table Talk” with Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris. During their time at the Smith household, they got a chance to meet Will Smith, which Jemele said was the top moment for her mom. Aww.
Jemele has been on the promo trail for her new memoir, Uphill.
Photo: DFree/Tinseltown/Shutterstock
