Will Smith Reflects Transformation After 2022 Oscars Slap Incident

Three years after the widely publicized incident at the 2022 Oscars where Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock, Smith has reflected deeply on the event and its impact on his life and career. Describing the experience as "brutal but beautiful" or "brutiful," Smith said it forced him into a period of intense self-examination, leading to new creative energies and a sense of renewal. The incident, which occurred after Rock joked about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s alopecia, resulted in the Academy banning Smith from the Oscars for 10 years and prompted Smith to resign from the Academy. Since then, Smith has embraced this transformative phase, releasing his first album in two decades, "Based On A True Story," which touches on the Oscars moment and his personal growth. Despite facing unprecedented public disapproval, Smith believes he is entering the greatest creative period of his life, looking forward to the next five to ten years with renewed energy. Throughout interviews on BBC’s 1Xtra, Smith emphasized how this journey has dissolved his dependence on external approval and unlocked unexplored parts of himself.