Topline
Will Smith will remain in his position as executive producer of the Peacock show Bel-Air, Deadline reported Monday, after the actor was reportedly dropped from several projects amid the fallout from slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in March.
Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for … [+] “King Richard” at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Key Facts
Smith will serve as executive producer for the second season of Bel-Air, a dramatic retelling of his breakout sit-com The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, which will air in 2023, according to Deadline.
Production on Smith’s National Geographic nature series Pole to Pole was supposed to start soon but was delayed until the fall, a source familiar with the situation told Bloomberg last month.
Shortly after the incident, Netflix delayed development on the Smith-led film Fast and Loose, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, and a source told the Reporter production of Bad Boys 4 would pause.
In the wake of the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy, giving up his ability to vote for Oscar nominees, shortly after the group launched an investigation into his actions.
The Academy Of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced last month that Smith cannot attend events put on by the group, including the Academy Awards, until 2032, though he can still be nominated.
Tangent
Smith’s next acting project is Emancipation, a movie for Apple about a runaway slave, which was scheduled to be released this year, though a premiere date has not been announced.
Key Background
After Rock joked about Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, Smith charged the stage, slapped the comedian and yelled at him to “keep my wife’s name out your f**king mouth.” Rock declined to press charges, though he has six months from after the incident to change his mind. The comedian has not spoken publicly about the incident, except for a few quick remarks while on tour. Smith issued an apology to Rock and the Academy. After the group announced his punishment last month, Smith said that he “accepts and respects the Academy’s decision.” His Best Actor Oscar for King Richard was not revoked. Pinkett Smith has also not publicly commented about the altercation. Red Table Talk, the show Pinkett Smith hosts with her mother and her and Smith’s daughter Willow Smith, posted on Twitter last month that “when the time calls” some “discoveries” from the Smith’s family’s healing will be shared on the series.
Further Reading
Will Smith Banned From Oscars For 10 Years (Forbes)
Will Smith Resigns From Academy As It Probes His Slap Of Chris Rock At Oscars (Forbes)
WHAT IT TAKES TO BREAK WILL SMITH OUT OF MOVIE JAIL (Variety)
