The ongoing saga may finally be coming to an end! Will Smith may finally get that interaction with Chris Rock that he recently requested and that the comedian was more than reluctant to give. But although he’s been saying he wouldn’t touch on the incident, it appears that Chris Rock has changed his heart. The comedian is now open to speaking with Will Smith according to close sources.
“It’s been a minute,” Will Smith said in a July 29th video uploaded to his Youtube page. The actor then explained why he’d been away from the spotlight and why it took so long for him to apologize. Smith confessed to doing a lot of “personal work” and “thinking” over the last few months. He then proceeded to atone for the incident and included the family of Chris Rock in his apologies. The Academy Award-winning actor also said he reached out to the legendary comedian behind the scenes. However, Rock himself offered nothing but radio silence to the actor. In addition, Will Smith explained that he did receive a message from Chris Rock’s team that said he was not prepared to speak to the actor regarding their embarrassing incident that played out in front of millions.
The King Richard actor also addressed fans who felt his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, egged his actions. Will Smith insisted in the almost 6-minute clip that he made his “own choices” and then offered an apology to his wife and family.
According to a Hollywood Life source, actress and wife Jada Pinkett Smith is “proud” that her husband decided to produce the video apology. The source adds that the Matrix Resurrections star felt that the video would help show Will Smith’s heart as he was genuinely remorseful.
In addition, they claim that Will Smith’s children, Willow and Jaden, are both proud of their father. Finally, it includes that they are hoping for continued “healing” as they had also received backlash from the incident, although they were far removed. But a report from US Weekly argues against that theory. A source reportedly told the publication that Will Smith was not trying to apologize. Instead, they claim that it was at the behest of Jada Pinkett Smith that the actor made the video. Furthermore, the sources allegedly claim that his team has been hellishly suffering due to the incident, while his wife was aware and tired of the “dark cloud” over her Red Table Talk show.
Chris Rock was not the only person out of the two who felt the incident’s sting. Will Smith faced intense backlash from numerous ends. Fans spoke against him, and comedians joined, publicly stating their utter disappointment in the actor. He was also banned from attending the Oscars and the Academy for a decade. In addition, multiple projects were announced to be placed on hold following the fallout of the slap. Will Smith was set to star in the Apple TV film Emancipation, directed by Antoine Fuqua and co-starring Zimbabwean actress Charmaine Bingwa. However, according to Variety, the production was delayed until 2023 following the assault.
Another project that suffered was his upcoming action-thriller film, Fast and Loose. The film was to premiere on Netflix in the future. However, Variety reports that the streaming giant pushed pause on moving forward with the project after the incident. Additionally, problems arose for the film a week before the Oscars took place as the director decided to pull away from the project as well. Fans of the Bad Boys franchise were initially saddened by rumors that the upcoming planned fourth installment would also suffer from delays. However, Sony’s Chairman told Deadline that the rumors were “inaccurate,” and he stood by Will Smith despite the “unfortunate” assault. “That was an example of a very good person having a very bad moment in front of the world,” said Tom Rothman.
On August 1st, a spokesperson for Chris Rock shared that he had nothing to say following Smith’s apology and acknowledged that the comedian had already been joking about it. Furthermore, they shared that the Independence Day actor should “deal with his issues. Chris is fine,” they insisted to PEOPLE. But recent developments show that the comedian might’ve had a change of heart.
A report from RadarOnline claims that Chris Rock is seemingly ready to speak to Will Smith so they can officially put the incident behind them. The source claims that Rock viewed Smith’s apology video and reacted with “mixed feelings.” However, they claim that the comedian will call Smith when the time is right, but only if he agrees to one thing. With the Smith’s reputation for making much of their private dealings public, the source claims that Chris Rock will only discuss their incident if the actor keeps their interaction between them. “The last thing Chris wants is Will making another sad video detailing everything that was said at their meeting.”
Since the incident, Chris Rock has seen a spike in his career so he doesn’t need more publicity regarding the incident. His latest world tour, in addition to dates with Kevin Hart, has sold out. In addition, Deadline reports that Everybody Hates Chris has officially been given a series order and will debut on Paramount+ and Comedy Central. Chris Rock is also seemingly enjoying a budding romance with What If…? actress Lake Bell. Recent pictures have shown the two on vacation in Croatia. According to PEOPLE, the two have been dating since June.
