Will Smith Wants The Oscars To Lift His 10-Year-Ban Over Chris Rock Slap, Sources Say

Will Smith, Chris Rock

Will Smith Wants The Oscars To Lift His 10-Year-Ban Over Chris Rock Slap, Sources Say

Looks like Will Smith is hoping his box office success will impact his suspension from the Oscars.

A source reportedly shared with In Touch recently that the actor is exploring the possibility of getting his 10-year banishment from the Academy for slapping Chris Rock lifted, citing his track record of bringing money to the industry.

Will Smith

If you recall, Will Smith, 55, received the lengthy suspension from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences after storming the Oscars stage in 2022 during their live show and slapping Chris Rock, 59. The comedian made an insensitive joke about Will Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 52, and her balding, which is due to alopecia, igniting the rage-filled attack that played out in front of millions of viewers.

While Will Smith resigned from the Academy shortly after the incident, and offered his sincere apologies to his colleague, the organization still handed down the 10-year ban. However, a source close to Smith said that due to his latest movie Bad Boys 4 being a box office hit, there could be a chance that the Oscars may reconsider the sanction. The source explained:

“Will’s defenders are always reminding people that, with respect to ‘The Slap,’ Will apologized in no uncertain terms, but more importantly, Will is selling tickets and putting butts in seats at a time when the whole business is struggling…That counts for a lot…Will is a sinner, but sinners can be forgiven and he’s driving a lot of business right now, against all odds.”

Continuing, the source shared that one obstacle Smith faces to being reinstated is soured feelings from other Academy members. They added:

“There are still people in the Academy who think Will should have been arrested for what he did. The big change this summer is that the fans have spoken, and they want Will to keep being a movie star. That’s huge and Will is using that as his rocket fuel to get back into the good graces of the Academy, which has more Black members than ever before.”

Additionally, the source added that a public acknowledgment of forgiveness from Rock himself is likely also necessary, stating:

“Another obstacle is that Chris Rock is rightfully still very upset about the incident, and he’s a beloved Academy insider…The moment everybody is waiting for is for Chris and Will to publicly and genuinely bury the hatchet – that’s going to give the Academy the confidence to revisit their decision to ban Will from the Oscars for 10 years.”

Will Smith, Chris Rock

Though Smith did offer several apologies to Rock, he has yet to speak on the matter in a public interview. The Oscars have not confirmed or denied rumors about Smith being reinstated.

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