June 26th 2024.
In the latest installment of the Bad Boys franchise, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had a scene that caught the attention of many viewers. It seemed to reference Smith's infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, which didn't sit well with host Chris Rock. This moment happened near the end of the film, where Lawrence's character, Marcus, repeatedly slaps Mike to snap him out of a daze after a tense showdown.
According to TMZ, this scene was seen by many as Smith's way of addressing the Oscars incident. However, sources reveal that it actually opened up old wounds for Rock, who was on the receiving end of Smith's real-life slap. "Chris finds it a cheap stunt and he's not afraid to say it," an insider told In Touch. "He sees it as Will making light of a serious situation and playing the victim. It was a low point in his career, but that doesn't excuse his behavior."
The source also mentioned that Rock has been keeping a low profile since the viral moment and finds Smith's actions "nauseating." "It's aggravating for him that people keep bringing it up. He went through just as much as Will did, and now Will is turning it into a joke in his movie. To Chris, it's just more proof that Will is a piece of work who deserves all the criticism he's gotten. He's not going to let this go and if he gets a chance to get back at Will, he will take it."
Just to give some context, Smith, who is 55 years old, was banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years after he went on stage and slapped Rock, who is 59, during the 2022 ceremony. This happened after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, during his hosting gig. "Jada, I love you," Chris said. "G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it." The joke was about Jada's lack of hair, which she has openly discussed as a result of her battle with alopecia. This joke enraged Smith, who got up from his seat and approached Rock on stage to give him a slap for the whole world to see.
Once he returned to his seat, he shouted at Rock, "Keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth." This shocking exchange happened just minutes before Smith was awarded his first-ever Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard, which was a huge moment for him.
After the incident, Smith eventually issued a formal apology to Rock in a YouTube video, which he shared four months after the slap attack. "Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," Smith said in the video.
Rock, on the other hand, addressed the whole ordeal in his 2023 comedy special, Selective Outrage, which was one year after the Oscars slap. He took aim at both Will and Jada, suggesting that Smith's anger should have been directed towards his wife for her "entanglements." "His wife was f**king her son's friend...she hurt him way more than he hurt me," Rock said. "Everyone called the man a b**ch...they called his wife a predator...and who did he hit? Me! A n**ger that he knows he can beat up."
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