Showing their support. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith walked their first red carpet together since the actor made headlines for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
Smith, 54, was joined by his wife, 51, for the Los Angeles premiere of his new movie Emancipation on Wednesday, November 30. The couple were all smiles as Pinkett Smith held on to her husband’s arm at the event.
While walking the red carpet, the pair also posed for photos with their children — son Jaden, 24, and daughter Willow, 22. Smith’s son Trey, 30, who he shares with ex Sheree Zampino, was at his father’s side as well.
Smith and Pinkett Smith’s night out marks their first red carpet appearance since they attended the Oscars in March. At the time, the King Richard actor made headlines when he walked onto the stage and slapped Rock, 57, after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
“Will Smith just smacked the s—t out of me,” the South Carolina native said in censored footage that later circulated online. As Smith returned to his seat, he was heard yelling at Rock to “keep my wife’s name out your f—king mouth.”
Following the incident, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed that Smith would be banned from all Oscars events for 10 years following his resignation.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum later issued a public apology for his behavior.
“I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment,” Smith said in a July video via Instagram. “I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now. But I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
The Philadelphia native revealed that he attempted to reach out to Rock to make amends. “The message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. And when he is, he will reach out,” he continued. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk. … I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s–t.”
Smith noted that his response had nothing to do with the Girls Trip actress, adding, “I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I am deeply remorseful and I am trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. Right? I’m human and I made a mistake.”
Rock, for his part, seemingly threw shade at Smith hours after the clip was released. “Everybody is trying to be a f–king victim,” he joked during a show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. “If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith … I went to work the next day, I got kids. Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Earlier this month, Smith opened up about the “horrific” incident.
“There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know?” he detailed during The Daily Show With Trevor Noah on Monday, November 28. “And I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through. It’s like there’s all these things, and they’re strangers, and you just don’t know what is going on with people. And I was going through something that night. Not that that justifies my behavior at all.”
Smith also shared his response to people who may not want to watch his new projects. “I completely understand that if someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready,” he said on FOX 5’s Good Day DC.
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