Will Smith

Will Smith To Break Oscars Tradition Following Ban From All Academy Events

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After receiving a 10-year ban from the Academy, actor Will Smith will be breaking an Oscars tradition. The 54-year-old actor, who won his first Oscar at the 94th event last year, is leaving the Academy in a dilemma as to who will present the Best Actress award. For decades, the Oscars has kept a tradition of having the previous Best Actor winner present to the current year’s winner for Best Actress. During the award show last year, Smith famously hit host Chris Rock with a slap when the latter had picked on Smith’s wife with one of his jokes. 

After multiple nominations, the actor won his first Oscar for the movie, King Richard, where he played the part of tennis players, Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams. This award was presented to him just moments after the cheek slam. Chris Rock, who seemed to have let sleeping dogs lie, has now begun waking them up with his recent Netflix special, in which he threw shade in Smith’s direction.

Will Smith At The 94th Oscars

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Will Smith accepts the Actor in a Leading Role award for ‘King Richard’ onstage during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Equally, some are wondering if this year’s Oscars host, Jimmy Kimmel, will feel free to make do with the audience or if he’ll travel outside the event hall for his jokes. How free will Kimmel be to allow his mouth to lighten up the occasion?

Although he won the Best Actor category, Will Smith will not be handing the award to any of the Best Actress nominees, which include Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett. Bill Kramer, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) CEO hinted at precautions being taken to curb any such occurrences in the coming weekend during an interview with Time Magazine. “Because of the slap last year, we’ve opened our minds to the many things that can happen at the Oscars,” he said. The Emancipation star isn’t just inspiring a crisis team, but also stopping a longtime tradition.

For now, The Academy hasn’t mentioned who will be replacing Will Smith to present the Best Actress award this Sunday, leaving a handful of Oscars fans wondering. How do you think the academy will work around Smith’s absence? Let us know in the comment section below.

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Tyrese Says Psych Meds Caused 2017 Breakdown & Claims Of $5Mil Will Smith Gift

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There was a season of Tyrese’s public life when people were concerned about his mental health. The multihyphenate entertainer took to the internet with an outrageous claim back in 2017, and he’s clarifying what was going on for him at the time. During that season, Tyrese and his ex-wife Norma Mitchell were engaged in a bitter custody battle. The singer appeared online in a tearful video that has gone down in viral history. He lamented over his daughter and elsewhere, Tyrese claimed Will Smith gave him $5 million to help him with the legal fees involved in his custody dispute.

At the time, Tyrese wrote: “My wife kept the news away from me ’cause I’ve been on with lawyers all day, but our family and our sister Jada Pinkett-Smith and my brother Will Smith just sent us 5 million dollars to help keep us afloat. The Smiths and their whole family has always shown up for The Gibson’s. Uncle Will you’re an uncle for real.” However, soon Smith’s team would emerge with a denial. They insisted the Oscar winner didn’t loan the Fast & Furious star any money.

Tyrese Claims Depression Meds Were The Culprit

LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 30: Actor Will Smith, producer Sean Combs and actor Tyrese arrive to the Premiere of Sony Pictures’ ‘Hancock” at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on June 30, 2008 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

In their 2017 reaction to Tyrese’s claims, the Smiths further admitted they were longtime friends of the actor. There were also rumors that the couple was concerned he was in the midst of “some sort of breakdown,” and in a recent appearance on Sway’s Universe, Tyrese addressed the controversy. He says it was the depression medications he was prescribed that made him act that way.

“Will Smith is gonna give me $5 million? I never even talked to Will Smith. I was out of my mind,” he stated. After losing custody of his daughter with Mitchell, Tyrese was prescribed Rexulti. Insider reported the medication could cause sudden changes in moods and uncontrollable impulses.

Back On Track

Tyrese and his ex are now on better terms, and he regularly sees their daughter. “I travel, and I move all the time. I’m used to being away from my baby. But to take my baby away for 100 days? Oh, I was f*cking miserable,” Tyrese admitted to Sway. “So, then the psychiatrist says, ‘Here’s some psych meds that’ll help stabilize your mood, because you barely sleep, you’re stressed the f*ck out, and your firstborn was taken away from you.’”

“You put some sh*t like Rexulti in my system, it’s going to have the worst adverse effects ever,” he added. “I’m online talking about Will Smith giving me $5 million. I never talked to Will Smith and I still haven’t recovered from the damage that I did to him and his family. They didn’t deserve them phone calls.”

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Will Smith Raps “Just The Two Of Us” Hit Over Young TikToker’s Bassline Cover

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His name has been at the forefront of ongoing controversy, but Will Smith ignores the chaos. Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage has been the talk of pop culture all week as the world dissects his jokes. It was the first time Rock addressed being slapped at last year’s Academy Awards, and he didn’t hold back. Instead of targeting Smith specifically throughout, Rock aimed at Jada Pinkett. It was expected, as his quip about Jada at the Oscars was the catalyst that set off Smith’s rage.

It has been a year since the unfortunate incident, and Smith has moved forward. He’s apologized and addressed being in therapy on Red Table Talk. Smith filled his time by promoting his latest acclaimed film Emancipation, and he’s returned to his social media hijinks that entertain his millions of online followers. Yesterday (March 9), he eased into the end of the week on a nostalgic note by shining a light on 10-year-old musician Ellen Alaverdyan.

Will Smith Revisits His Classic Hit

In 1997, Will Smith was still in his rapper bag and dropped his album Big Willie Style. Included in the project was one of his classic hits, “Just the Two of Us,” a song that celebrated fatherhood. The visual includes Smith with his eldest son, Trey, who was just a small child then. Jada is also briefly seen pregnant with Jaden. Other famous dads, like Brian McKnight, Muhammad Ali, and Babyface, made guest appearances. It peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s U.S. Hot Rap Songs chart and remained a favorite among fans—like young Ellen.

The young musician shared a video playing the bassline for “Just the Two of Us,” Smith was amazed. He not only reshared the video of Ellen to his Instagram page, but he also joined along and rapped the track over her performance. In the caption, he called the rising star “fantastic,” adding, “You are the sweetest!” We haven’t seen much of Smith’s musical efforts as of late. However, Questlove revealed he should have taken to the stage during a recent celebration.

Shining a Light On Young Talent

According to Quest, who helped co-curate the Grammy’s tribute for Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary, Smith was also supposed to perform. However, The Roots icon explained that Smith was busy with Martin Lawrence as they had begun filming their anticipated movie, Bad Boys 4. Check out Will Smith and Ellen Alaverdyan above.

Where to Watch Chris Rock’s ‘Selective Outrage’ Stand Up

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Chris Rock’s new stand-up special “Selective Outrage” was recently released on Netflix and the comedian used the show as an opportunity to fully respond to getting slapped in the face by Will Smith one year ago.

What Happened Between Chris Rock and Will Smith?

At the 94th Annual Academy Awards last year on March 27th, Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith after referring to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as “G.I. Jane” in reference to her bald haircut. Pinkett Smith has been public about her years-long struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, and Pinkett Smith did not seem to receive the joke in jest, as she rolled her eyes at the joke.

However, Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, went one step further, as in a moment that has been covered and documented by every media source since it took place, he slapped Chris Rock in the face. Since the incident, Smith has publicly apologized to Rock numerous times and also will face a ten year ban from the Academy Awards.

While Will Smith has been public about his regret for slapping Rock, the comedian has been quiet about the subject until now. While Chris Rock has joked about the incident a few times during comedy shows, “Selective Outrage” proves to be the moment Rock chose to air out all of his grievances and feelings toward Will Smith. Rock joked about many other topics in the special. But its ultimate purpose seems to be a response to Smith, and Rock did not hold back.

The Stand-Up Special Is A Netflix-First

This special is also Netflix’s first experiment in live entertainment. The show was broadcast globally without edits and little to no rehearsal. This was seen when Chris Rock botched a key part of one of his jokes. Rather than starting over, he was forced to give his attention to the mistake and move forward.

The live aspect of the special gave an electric sense of realness to Rock’s performance. This further ignited Chris Rock’s impassioned feelings about Will Smith. Delivered with a fierceness, Rock referred to Will as “Suge Smith” in reference to “Suge Knight”, the former CEO of Death Row Records who is currently incarcerated for manslaughter.

Chris Rock also alluded to the idea that Smith was letting out his anger towards his wife Jada on him, due to Jada’s public reveal of an ‘entanglement’ she had with August Alsina in 2020. In the special, Rock stated, “She hurt him way more than he hurt me”. Rock also referred to the slap as “some bitch-ass shit”. He explained that Will Smith is much larger than him and does movies with his shirt off. He jokes, “If I’m in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’ve got on a sweater.”

Rock ended the special with a question he was asked a few times after the incident. “‘Chris how come you didn’t do nothing back that night?’ Cause I got parents, because I was raised,’” he said. “You know what my parents told me? Don’t fight in front of white people.” It appears that Rock said everything he wanted to say during “Selective Outrage”. A source stated that the comedian is “ready to move on”. In response to this, Will Smith called the special “distasteful” and “below the belt” and said “he’s embarrassed and hurt”.

Where To Watch The Special

The special is still available on Netflix and is currently on Netflix’s Top-10 most popular list. The special has been called “emotional, messy, and fierce” as well as “self-deprecating and funny”. The 95th Annual Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 12th. It appears that the discourse from last year’s show is not over. The internet is once again buzzing due to Chris Rock’s “Selective Outrage”.

NORE And DJ EFN Deny Calling Will Smith A ‘B*tch’ On ‘Drink Champs,’ Despite What Chris Rock Says

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NORE podcast
Getty Image

You may have heard that Netflix recently livestreamed Chris Rock’s new special, Selective Outrage. You may also be aware that the standup comic used the latter third of the special to absolutely ream Will and Jada Pinkett Smith over the slapping incident at last year’s Academy Awards. During that extended bit, Rock — who loves to name-check rappers in his act — cited the controversial hip-hop podcast Drink Champs as one of the reasons Smith was so angry at him that he resorted to violence over Rock’s jokes about Jada.

“Everybody called him a bitch and who did he hit? Me!” Rock complained, apparently including Drink Champs, which did discuss rumors that Jada had an extended “entanglement” with singer August Alsina (she even coined that phrase on an episode of her own podcast, Red Table Talk). However, the hosts want it made clear that they never called Will anything of the sort. In their latest episode preview on Instagram, NORE, DJ EFN, and guest Joe Budden discussed Selective Outrage and the shout-out their show got.

In the clip, NORE asks EFN, “You called Will Smith a bitch?” to which his co-host emphatically replies, “No, man! That was you! Nah, nah. Nobody here called him a bitch.” After playing the Rock joke, Budden offered his view, “I don’t agree with anything he did, but I’m not calling another man a bitch. I’m not going to do that, but Chris Rock said y’all did that, Drink Champs.” For what it’s worth, he has a point there; he just makes “careless” jokes about Megan Thee Stallion’s shooting, asks inane questions about Isaiah Rashad’s sexuality, and hashes out accusations of abuse and sexual harassment. But he doesn’t call men “bitches.” Round of applause for Joe.

The Drink Champs hosts seemed enthused about the reference, though. “I love the way he named us, because he put us in the rapper category,” said NORE, giving his signature catchphrase: “Let’s make some noise for Chris Rock, God damn it!”

You can stream Selective Outrage now on Netflix and watch the Drink Champs preview clip above.

Every Original Series Cameo In ‘Bel-Air’

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Peacock’s Bel-Air just launched its second season, continuing its reimagining of the classic ‘90s sitcom that took the fish-out-of-water storyline to an epic level, infusing the show with comedy, music and social awareness rarely seen on other sitcoms.

How ‘Bel-Air’ Came To Be

Series creator Morgan Cooper went a roundabout route in pitching the show. Instead of scheduling the typical meetings and introductions with studio heads, Cooper created a YouTube trailer that went viral. It eventually captured the eye of the eponymous OG Fresh Prince, Will Smith.

Fast forward a few months and a few meetings later, and ‘the show Bel-Air is being carefully crafted around the original themes and narratives, while also being dedicated to its own time period and the issues that exist. Cassandra Freeman, who plays Aunt Viv, explains the show’s magic, stating that:

“We’re trying to show the world that it’s expansive to be black. Black is not just Crenshaw [Boulevard]. Black’s not just from Baltimore. Black is an expansive experience.”

With such a purpose and dedication, is it any wonder that stars from the original show are eager to grace the small screen again, revitalizing their original roles?

Aunt Viv and Aunt Vy Make a Nostalgic Return

Daphne Maxwell Reid, who played the second Aunt Viv, starred alongside her sister – Viola Smith, but lovingly known as Aunt Vy – played by Vernee Watson-Johnson. They starred in episode 9, “Can’t Knock the Hustle” from season 1 of ‘Bel-Air’ as members of the Art Council Board of Trustees.

As for the rest of the original crew, rumor has it that Will Smith will be making an appearance sometime in the second season, and fingers are crossed for additional cameos.

Ashley Banks Is Back As A New Character

Perhaps one of the most anticipated cameos belongs to Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley Banks. Ashley was the youngest of Phil and Vivian’s brood. Tatyana literally grew up before the eyes of American while on the show. She started as an adorable (albeit naive) girl, to a sophisticated young woman by the show’s end. On Bel-Air, she plays Mrs. Hughes, a teacher and mentor to Ashely Banks. Tatyana calls Ashley a role that Ali calls ‘meta’ in its retrospective significance.

‘Bel-Air’ Season 2 is available on Peacock, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.

Noreaga Clarifies ‘Drink Champs’ Didn’t Call Will Smith A ‘B*tch’

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The arrival of Selective Outrage has been a firestorm, as Chris Rock unleashed on his foe, Will Smith. The comedian took a moment or two to target the man who slapped him during last year’s Oscars. It was an embarrassing encounter for both superstars, but initially, people felt more sympathy for Rock. Now, audiences are divided regarding their support, even more so after Rock’s latest comedy special premiered.

Pop culture has been dissecting Selective Outrage and all of Rock’s jabs. As expected, he went after the Smiths, mentioning their entanglement with August Alsina and even referring to Will as “Suge.” In the special, Rock also gave Drink Champs a shout-out by joking that the outlet called Smith a “b*tch.” It wasn’t missed on Noreaga and DJ EFN, but they took to their platform to set the record straight.

Respect For Will Smith

Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock and Will Smith at the Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

“This is brand-spankin’ new. Chris Rock—you call Will Smith a b*tch?” Nore asked EFN, who immediately denied saying anything of the sort. After pointing the finger at each other, EFN and Nore clarified that no one referred to the actor as a “b*tch.” Even guest Joe Budden chimed in to say, “It certainly wasn’t me.” He added, “I don’t agree with nothing he did, but I’m not gon’ call another man a b*tch. I’m not gon’ do that.” Then he joked, “But! If Chris Rock said y’all did that that, Drink Champs…”

As the trio laughs through their chat, the world continues to discuss the slap heard ’round the world. All sorts of reports from outlets speaking with “sources” have popped up in recent days. Selective Outrage has thrust the scandal back into the spotlight, and there are reports that Smith and Rock still haven’t spoken. Smith has repeatedly publicly apologized to his former friend and Rock’s family, but it doesn’t look as if it is enough.

Chris Rock Defended By Comedy Peers

Social media timelines were flooded with people telling Chris Rock he needed to let his hurt go. However, his comedy peers like D.L. Hughley and Leslie Jones have come to his defense, telling the public that comedy is how he works through the controversy.

Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy’

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Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy'

Chris Rock’s Selective Outrage special featured a portion of jokes targeting Will Smith. One of which compared Smith to Death Row Records frontman Suge Knight, dubbing the Oscar-winning actor “Suge Smith.”

Speaking on TMZ, Suge’s son, Suge J. Knight, thinks it’s cool to hear his dad’s name remains in popular culture.

“We all know Suge Knight as that guy who’s all about that action. Whatever he does, he going to do that. It’s funny to see that Suge has been in jail for a minute but he still has this legendary status. It’s just dope.”

Knight’s son stated his dad would enjoy the joke but recognize they aren’t like him. Ultimately, he overall wasn’t thrilled by the special. You can hear it from him below.

The post Suge Knight’s Son Salutes Chris Rock’s Joke: ‘We All Know Suge Knight as That Guy’ appeared first on The Source.