Will Smith visits life coach Jay Shetty with his family amid Oscars ban for infamous Chris Rock slap
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: What was Will Smith doing on Oscar night this weekend? It turns out the actor brought his family to see life coaching expert Jay Shetty in Los Angeles, a year after he memorably slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 event, earning him a 10-year ban from reward function.
The 54-year-old Oscar-winning actor stepped out with his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, as he posed with Shetty, Gammy Norris and Lauren London on ‘Love Rules’. A synopsis for the show reads, “Jay will take audiences on a journey to find, keep and even let go of love. Including live meditations, experiments and demonstrations, it will be an unforgettable and transformational evening. “
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What was Will Smith doing?
Smith’s attendance at Jay Shetty’s show is due to him no longer having the opportunity to present this year’s Best Actor award to the winner. The move stems from Smith hitting Rock, which earned him a 10-year ban from the prestigious ceremony. For the 2023 ceremony, Halle Berry replaced Smith as presenter for the Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars.
Will Smith and his family with Jay Shetty (Instagram/@jayshetty)
The incident happened after Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s alopecia-related baldness at the 2022 Oscars. Rock had jokingly claimed that Pinkett-Smith had a “GI Jane” appearance, prompting her husband to storm the stage and slap him, after repeating the line, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth!”
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Smith is “still remorseful” for slapping Rock at the 2022 Oscars and has made “unsuccessful” attempts to make amends with the comic, according to a source who spoke to People. On a recent episode of “Selective Outrage” on Netflix, Rock tore Will and Jada’s relationship apart and addressed the slap.
Will Smith appears to slap Chris Rock onstage during the 94th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Rock’s choice to address the scandal in his Netflix special, according to a source close to him, was not motivated by retaliation but rather by the comedian’s need to “get it all out” and “get it over with.” The insider added, “Chris wanted to get this over with and be done with it. It was very cathartic for him.” Rock certainly didn’t mince words when it came to rehashing the incident onstage, adding insult to injury by bringing up Pinkett-Smith’s admitted affair with his son Jaden’s close pal, the musician August Alsini, in 2020. The comedian shocked audiences when he said Smith’s anger was misdirected, considering “his wife was fucking his son’s friend.”
Smith was hurt and humiliated by the Netflix special and wants Rock to “let it go”, according to sources who spoke to Entertainment Tonight. According to the source, Smith was alerted to the content of the show by other people who had watched it rather than watching it himself.
