Will Smith has been laying low since the infamous 2022 Oscar slap debacle. Smith walked onto the stage as fellow actor and comedian Chris Rock was preparing to present the award for Best Documentary and slapped Rock with an open hand after the I Think I Love My Wife star made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, likening her to G.I. Joe. The Set It Off actress suffers from alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. It’s been reported that Rock had no idea of the Red Table Talk host’s condition, while others say there was longstanding tension between Rock and the Smith family. Smith accepted a 10-year ban from the Academy, and relinquished his membership. Since then, he’s apologized to Rock twice, once in the form of an Instagram video. Now, he seemingly is making a complete return to social media since his hiatus.
On Friday, Aug. 19, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air frontman posted a video on Instagram giving a hint to his more than 63 million followers about his possible return. Smith, 53, shared a throwback viral clip of a baby gorilla poking an enormous gorilla from behind to get their attention. “Me trying to get back on social,” he captioned the post.
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In the apology clip posted, Smith claimed he had reached out to Rock privately. But Rock was “not ready to talk” but would “reach out” when he was. Rock has made a few jokes about the incident, but had yet to speak at length. Reports allege that Rock simply wants to move on. Pinkett Smith has called for “healing” between the two men.
For the first time since the incident, the Smiths were seen publicly leaving a restaurant in Malibu. A source later told PEOPLE, “Will is doing good. He spends a lot of time with Jada. He is very happy about her constant support. They are very close and back each other up. Family is everything to them.” The source added that Smith has “learned a lot in the past few months.”
