While Will Smith has kept a low profile since his infamous Oscars incident earlier this year, his pal and fellow actor Kevin Hart has spoken out to assure fans the “Men In Black” star is in a “better space.” As previously reported, Will resigned from Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just days after slapping Chris Rock at their prestigious awards ceremony, which was followed by the announcement that Will was also being served with a 10-year ban from attending the Oscars.
And if that wasn’t enough, the father-of-three was then met with heavy criticism, which seemingly led to a handful of his TV and movie projects either being postponed or canceled altogether. According to Variety, “Emancipation,” an upcoming flick by the 53-year-old, was pushed back to 2023, despite Apple TV’s initial plan to release it this year.
With Will having completely removed himself from the spotlight in the past few months, Kevin has issued an update to let it be known that the Hollywood star is doing much better and that people are bound to make mistakes in life while addressing the Oscars slap. “Will is apologetic, you know, he’s in a better space, of course, than what he was after,” he shared to Entertainment Tonight.
“People are human and as humans sometimes we make mistakes. So it’s not about talking about the past, it’s about acknowledging the present and doing your best to move forward.”
And while many viewers who watched the Oscars during its live taping were at first under the impression that Will and Chris’ debacle was part of the show, many were stunned to later learn that the two were actually not kidding around. In fact, the comedian hasn’t spoken to either Will or Jada, who he had made a joke about at the ceremony, quipping that he couldn’t wait to see her in the next “G.I. Jane.” The 1997 film saw Demi Moore play a female lieutenant with a buzzcut hairstyle.
Of course, the joke didn’t sit well with Jada, who had openly admitted to battling a health condition called alopecia since 2018, which causes significant hair loss, particularly in women. And while most of Hollywood is hoping that the pair can work through their differences and make amends, it doesn’t appear as if neither Chris nor Will have shared any conversation of the sort since the Oscars.
Kevin went on to say, “I can get only hope that the two of them find a way to find some solace in that and move past it. I just like good energy. I love to see people be the best. I still love him, I still love Chris, and, you know, you can’t judge a person by one thing. Ultimately, life goes on and people grow, so give him the opportunity to do so.”