Will Smith reportedly wants Oscars ban to be lifted.
If you can recall- Smith was “banned” from the Oscars awards after he slapped Chris Rock live on TV. Smith is banned from the award show for 10-years.
According to reports, a source close to the actor said that due to the success of Bad Boys 4– Oscars may consider lifting the ban. “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.”
The source continued: “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.”
“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.”
We previously reported that Will Smith shared a heartfelt video via Instagram. He explains why he didn’t apologize to Chris Rock during his acceptance speech at the Oscars. He says, “I was fogged out by that point. It is all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I am here whenever you are ready to talk.”
There has been no official word from Will Smith or the Oscars regarding the ban as of yet. Share your thoughts below.