At 56, Will Smith Finally Realizes He Can Get Mad After Oscars Slap

Will Smith’ is still playing the victim as he returns to music, which has him reflecting on past outbursts, famously illustrated by his dramatic 2022 Oscars incident where he stunned viewers by slapping Chris Rock following a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

At the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the actor and musician revealed a newfound freedom in music that offers him space for genuine expression beyond his acting career.

“Music is a more honest place for me where I feel like I can say things that I wouldn’t say and I can express things and there’s uncertainty and there’s sadness,” the 56-year-old Smith was quoted by the Hollywood Reporter.

This raw exploration comes in the wake of the public incident that unfolded during the award ceremony, when Smith shouted from his seat after returning from the slap, “Keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth.”

The moment at the Oscars became a defining point in Smith’s recent life, exposing a side the public rarely saw.

As he continued to unpack those emotions, Smith remarked that previously, he didn’t allow himself to show vulnerability.

Jada Pinkett Smith disclosed she and Will had privately ended their relationship in 2016, yet remained publicly married despite her shocking affair with August Alsina.

This disclosure added complexity to the backdrop of the Oscars incident.

“The two things I would never let myself publicly be is sad or mad. Now I’m just starting to be more honest with myself—I have a lot of fun in life, but I’m sad sometimes and I can get mad sometimes,” Smith confessed at the event.