Will Smith reveals Floyd Mayweather called him every day for 10 straight days after Oscars slap
In a video obtained by TMZ, Will is seen saying, “I want to say something also about Floyd… So, we’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends.”
The actor went up on stage at the 2022 Oscars and slapped the host Chris Rock for making a tasteless joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
In the days following the slap, Will was in a dark place and the actor says Floyd Mayweather called him every day for 10 straight days after the incident, just to make sure he was doing okay.
Smith made the revelation during a private screening of his new “Emancipation” movie at The London hotel.
With Floyd in attendance, Will took a moment to praise the professional boxer for being there for him, even though they weren’t exactly best friends at the time.
Will Smith said: “I want to say something also about Floyd. So, we’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends.
“And, the day after the Oscars, for 10 days he called me every day. And, he was like, ‘Ay, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it.’
“That was every day he called me … and it’s like, that’s my dude forever right there.”
In July this year, Smith took to his Instagram handle and shared an emotional video explaining why he didn’t apologize to Rock after accepting the best actor award for his performance in ‘King Richard’ shortly after he slapped the comedian for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s short haircut.
“I was fogged out by that point,” Smith said, explaining why it took so long to offer Rock an apology. “It’s all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. And when he is, he will reach out.”
Smith expressed his guilt for his actions, calling them “unacceptable.” The actor has stated that he reacted violently because Rock’s joke alluded to Pinkett Smith’s hair loss due to alopecia. It’s a struggle that Pinkett Smith has previously addressed publicly.
“That was one of the things about that moment. I just didn’t realize,” Smith reflects. “I wasn’t thinking but many people got hurt at that moment. So I want to apologize to Chris’ mother. I want to apologize to Chris’ family. Specifically, Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. You know, Tony rock was my man and this is probably irreparable.”
“I made a choice on my own, from my own experiences from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do [with it],” Smith said, before acknowledging the “heat” his wife and kids have taken.
He also addressed how his actions affected his fellow nominees towards the end of the video, saying, “I won because you voted for me.”
“It really breaks my heart to have stolen and tarnished your moment,” Smith said, pointing to Questlove’s reaction, who took the Oscars stage right after the incident for winning best documentary for his project ‘Summer of Soul’. “Sorry isn’t really sufficient,” he said.
Since the Oscars 2022 incident, in which Smith slapped presenter and comedian Chris Rock on the Dolby Theatre stage after he made a G.I. Jane joke about Jada Pinkett’s baldness, Smith has apologized three times in various forms.
Smith has been banned from appearing for 10 years post and he even announced his resignation from the Academy.
