Latest news with #MenInBlack
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fallen Hollywood star Will Smith charging fans £400 to see him perform and have their picture taken with him... at bizarre concert tour date in BRIXTON
Hollywood A-lister Will Smith is heading to Britain on an unlikely tour of places including Brixton - charging fans hundreds of pounds for pictures with him. The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Men In Black actor will be hitting venues including the O2 Academy in Brixton, south London, Wolverhampton's Civic Hall, Cardiff Castle and Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Tickets for the shows alone have gone on sale at prices from £61.60 upwards - but the actor is also promoting more expensive closer encounters. His Brixton appearance scheduled for August 28 this year has standing tickets available for £60 apiece, alongside what is called a 'Will Smith First Entry Merch Package' offer costing £228. This promises an 'Exclusive Will Smith Merchandise Pack', a commemorative VIP laminate and an 'on site VIP host'. Yet buyers are told to note: 'THIS VIP PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE A MEET & GREET. THERE IS NO ARTIST INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS PACKAGE.' Alternatively, however, customers can spend £415 apiece on what is highlighted as a 'Will Smith Group Photo and Soundcheck Experience'. This offers not only the merchandise pack and the VIP laminate but also acess to a pre-show soundcheck and a 'Group Photo Opportunity with Will Smith'. Hollywood star Will Smith, pictured here at the premiere of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die in California last May, is heading to Britain on a concert tour His British visit includes venues in south London, Scarborough and Wolverhampton Fans are being given the chance to meet Oscar winner Will Smith at his UK performances The American rapper and actor, 56, is travelling across the Atlantic to perform tracks from his recent release Based On A True Story - Smith's first full-length album in 20 years, following 2005's Lost And Found. The tour, expected to also include such hits as Gettin' Jiggy Wit It and Miami, lands in England with a date at the seaside resort Scarborough, with Smith performing on on August 24 at the town's Open Air Theatre. This will be followed with a gig at Cardiff's Bute Park on August 25 and a concert at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse on August 27. Smith is due to perform at London's Brixton Academy the day before a final gig at University of Wolverhampton at the Halls on August 30. The star's Cardiff appearance on August 25 comes with the offer of what is dubbed the 'Ultimate Will Smith VIP Experience', priced at £1,290 per person. This promises a photo opportunity with Smith, an exclusive guided stage tour, access to the pre-concert soundcheck and a signed and framed 'vintage-style poster'. Smith has faced controversy in recent years, most notably when slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022 - and his choice of venues for his forthcoming tour come in contrast to Rock's most recent UK appearances. Rock was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood when he joked about Will's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Married couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are seen here attending Apple Original Films' LA premiere of Emancipation at Regency Village Theatre on November 30 2022 Will Smith walked on stage and hit Oscars ceremony host Chris Rock at the March 2022 event He compared her to the shaved head look of Demi Moore in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane - and Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, did not laugh at the joke. Smith approached the stage and slapped Rock across the face with his right hand. Rock responded by telling the shocked audience: 'Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me.' That same evening, Smith won the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. While Smith's scheduled venue in Brixton has a capacity of 4,300, his rival Rock performed at London's 20,000-seat O2 Arena in September 2022, following gigs at UK venues including London's Royal Albert Hall and the Utilita Arena Birmingham. The venue choices have prompted some surprise online, appearing as a contrast to fellow major US acts such as Taylor Swift opting for the likes of Wembley Stadium. Taking to X/Twitter after the tour was announced, one fan tweeted: 'Love to be in the room when Will Smith's management team are explaining to him how the hell Wolverhampton* ended up on the list of places on his tour.' Another wrote: 'Sorry… Will Smith - THE Will Smith is touring… playing London, Manchester SCARBOROUGH and …… WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL. How random.' Will Smith fans have been responding on social media to his UK tour announcements Also posted was: 'Bit artists playing obscure areas will never not be funny because why is Will Smith playing in WOLVERHAMPTON?!?!' Further responses included, 'Just heard Will Smith is playing Scarborough's open air theatre in August. To put it in football terms it's like when Socrates played for Garforth Town', and 'Will Smith coming to Wolverhampton was not on my 2025 bingo card'. Smith is also taking his tour to several European festivals, such as the Moroccan festival Mawazine in Rabat. The Oscar-winning actor announced the news of his concert dates in an Instagram post in March this year, writing: 'I'M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! 'We're hitting up UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises. All these years, I've NEVER done a headline tour and I can't wait to see you guys!!' Smith gained recognition in American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince who released Grammy-winning single Parents Just Don't Understand. In the 1990s, he starred in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air about a fictionalised version of himself, born and raised in West Philadelphia, sent to live with a wealthy uncle in Los Angeles. His debut solo album, Big Willie Smith, was released in 1997 and included the hit song Men In Black, which accompanied the film of the same name and peaked at number one in the UK singles chart. Smith gained recognition in American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince who released Grammy-winning single Parents Just Don't Understand (pictured in 1989) Pictured left to right are Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, Will Smith, Jaden Smith and Trey Smith at the 2022 Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, California, on March 27 that year Across his career, Smith has starred in dozens of films including The Pursuit Of Happyness in 2006, the following year's I Am Legend and Suicide Squad in 2016. In January, he released track Beautiful Scars, featuring rapper Big Sean, as well as a music video where they re-enacted a scene from 1999 science fiction film The Matrix. He has released other singles that will all feature on his new album, including Tantrum with Joyner Lucas, You Can Make It featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, and Work Of Art, which was a collaboration with rapper Russ, featuring his son Jaden. MailOnline has contacted Smith's representatives for comment.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Fallen Hollywood star Will Smith charging fans £400 to see him perform and have their picture taken with him... at bizarre concert tour date in BRIXTON
Hollywood A-lister Will Smith is heading to Britain on an unlikely tour of places including Brixton - charging fans hundreds of pounds for pictures with him. The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and Men In Black actor will be hitting venues including the O2 Academy in Brixton, south London, Wolverhampton's Civic Hall, Cardiff Castle and Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Tickets for the shows alone have gone on sale at prices from £61.60 upwards - but the actor is also promoting more expensive closer encounters. His Brixton appearance scheduled for August 28 this year has standing tickets available for £60 apiece, alongside what is called a 'Will Smith First Entry Merch Package' offer costing £228. This promises an 'Exclusive Will Smith Merchandise Pack', a commemorative VIP laminate and an 'on site VIP host'. Yet buyers are told to note: 'THIS VIP PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE A MEET & GREET. THERE IS NO ARTIST INVOLVEMENT WITH THIS PACKAGE.' Alternatively, however, customers can spend £415 apiece on what is highlighted as a 'Will Smith Group Photo and Soundcheck Experience'. This offers not only the merchandise pack and the VIP laminate but also acess to a pre-show soundcheck and a 'Group Photo Opportunity with Will Smith'. His British visit includes venues in south London, Scarborough and Wolverhampton The American rapper and actor, 56, is travelling across the Atlantic to perform tracks from his recent release Based On A True Story - Smith's first full-length album in 20 years, following 2005's Lost And Found. The tour, expected to also include such hits as Gettin' Jiggy Wit It and Miami, lands in England with a date at the seaside resort Scarborough, with Smith performing on on August 24 at the town's Open Air Theatre. This will be followed with a gig at Cardiff's Bute Park on August 25 and a concert at Manchester's Victoria Warehouse on August 27. Smith is due to perform at London's Brixton Academy the day before a final gig at University of Wolverhampton at the Halls on August 30. The star's Cardiff appearance on August 25 comes with the offer of what is dubbed the 'Ultimate Will Smith VIP Experience', priced at £1,290 per person. This promises a photo opportunity with Smith, an exclusive guided stage tour, access to the pre-concert soundcheck and a signed and framed 'vintage-style poster'. Smith has faced controversy in recent years, most notably when slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022 - and his choice of venues for his forthcoming tour come in contrast to Rock's most recent UK appearances. Rock was presenting the Oscar for Best Documentary at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood when he joked about Will's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. He compared her to the shaved head look of Demi Moore in the 1997 movie G.I. Jane - and Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, did not laugh at the joke. Smith approached the stage and slapped Rock across the face with his right hand. Rock responded by telling the shocked audience: 'Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me.' That same evening, Smith won the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard as Richard Williams, the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. While Smith's scheduled venue in Brixton has a capacity of 4,300, his rival Rock performed at London's 20,000-seat O2 Arena in September 2022, following gigs at UK venues including London's Royal Albert Hall and the Utilita Arena Birmingham. The venue choices have prompted some surprise online, appearing as a contrast to fellow major US acts such as Taylor Swift opting for the likes of Wembley Stadium. Taking to X/Twitter after the tour was announced, one fan tweeted: 'Love to be in the room when Will Smith's management team are explaining to him how the hell Wolverhampton* ended up on the list of places on his tour.' Another wrote: 'Sorry… Will Smith - THE Will Smith is touring… playing London, Manchester SCARBOROUGH and …… WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL. How random.' Also posted was: 'Bit artists playing obscure areas will never not be funny because why is Will Smith playing in WOLVERHAMPTON?!?!' Further responses included, 'Just heard Will Smith is playing Scarborough's open air theatre in August. To put it in football terms it's like when Socrates played for Garforth Town', and 'Will Smith coming to Wolverhampton was not on my 2025 bingo card'. Smith is also taking his tour to several European festivals, such as the Moroccan festival Mawazine in Rabat. The Oscar-winning actor announced the news of his concert dates in an Instagram post in March this year, writing: 'I'M GOING ON TOUR THIS SUMMER!! 'We're hitting up UK & Europe to bring U all the hits, some new joints, and a few surprises. All these years, I've NEVER done a headline tour and I can't wait to see you guys!!' Smith gained recognition in American hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince who released Grammy-winning single Parents Just Don't Understand. In the 1990s, he starred in the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air about a fictionalised version of himself, born and raised in West Philadelphia, sent to live with a wealthy uncle in Los Angeles. His debut solo album, Big Willie Smith, was released in 1997 and included the hit song Men In Black, which accompanied the film of the same name and peaked at number one in the UK singles chart. Across his career, Smith has starred in dozens of films including The Pursuit Of Happyness in 2006, the following year's I Am Legend and Suicide Squad in 2016. In January, he released track Beautiful Scars, featuring rapper Big Sean, as well as a music video where they re-enacted a scene from 1999 science fiction film The Matrix. He has released other singles that will all feature on his new album, including Tantrum with Joyner Lucas, You Can Make It featuring Fridayy and Sunday Service Choir, and Work Of Art, which was a collaboration with rapper Russ, featuring his son Jaden.
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Ravens tap into hit TV series \
Ravens tap into hit TV series "Severance' to help unveil the 2025 NFL schedule Baltimore released their 17 game 2025 NFL schedule and the Ravens channeled the Apple TV hit series 'Severance' to help with the video release After months of waiting, the Ravens unveiled their 2025 NFL schedule and tapped into the Apple TV hit series, 'Severance', to reveal a mysterious and vital secret. Severance is an American science fiction psychological thriller television series created by Dan Erickson, executive-produced, and primarily directed by Ben Stiller. The high-profile show stars Adam Scott, Zach Cherry, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Jen Tullock, Dichen Lachman, Michael Chernus, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Sarah Bock, and Patricia Arquette. The series follows employees at the biotechnology corporation Lumon Industries who have undergone "severance"—a medical procedure that ensures they retain no memories of the outside world while at work and no recollection of their job once they leave. An artificial intelligence thriller with a ton of 'Men In Black' results in two distinct personalities for each employee: the "innie," who exists solely within Lumon, and the "outie," who lives their personal life outside of work. Baltimore will open the season on the road against the Buffalo Bills before their home opener in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Will Smith went from sexy comic hero to ‘loser'
When Will Smith stormed the stage at the Oscars in 2022 and slapped comedian and host Chris Rock, while shouting 'Get my wife's name out of your f---ing mouth', it shattered his public image as the charismatic and funny golden boy, and his status as one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. Three years later and the 56-year-old actor is clearly hoping we'll all forget 'Slap-gate', as he embarks on a comeback, releasing new music for the first time in 20 years and embarking on a tour across the UK and Europe this summer. The venues he's playing on his tour seem like quite a fall from grace for an Oscar-winning, Grammy-winning A-lister who is worth a reported $350 million (£270 million). But maybe he just fancied a trip to Scarborough and Wolverhampton this summer? 'Will Smith has been leaning very hard into nostalgia so that audiences will reframe him as that lovable, fun version of himself from before,' says Rachel Richardson, pop culture commentator and creator of the Highly Flammable Substack. 'It definitely feels like a last gasp at rehabilitation for him.' Smith had largely withdrawn from the spotlight after his assault on Chris Rock for mocking his wife Jada's alopecia, bar the release of his Apple TV drama Emancipation, in 2022, which was a critical and commercial flop. In the aftermath of the Oscars incident, Smith was banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years, Netflix paused development of his movie Fast and Loose, and revenue of the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation plunged 83 per cent, leading to the charity's closure. The first inklings that Smith might be trying to win back public support came at the Coachella music festival last summer, when Smith made a surprise appearance on-stage to sing his 1997 hit Men In Black. Then came the fourth instalment of his Nineties buddy-cop movie franchise Bad Boys, which first debuted in 1995. Now his album, Based On A True Story, released today, is yet another blast from the past, as Smith teams up with Jazzy Jeff, his collaborator from his Fresh Prince days, and pays tribute to his hit Nineties sitcom by wearing a Philadelphia basketball jacket and baseball hat on the cover. He also went viral on TikTok earlier this month, by recreating a Fresh Prince dance with rapper of the moment Doechii. Perhaps Smith is hoping that, like his Men In Black character, he can just wipe everyone's memory and it will be 1996 again, when he was smashing it at the box office and in the charts. Promoting this album is the first time that Smith has talked openly about the moment which derailed his career. 'I can look at [the Oscars incident] as an absolute mess, horrible, terrible – or I can look at it as a really great kintsugi opportunity, to rebuild something beautiful and powerful,' he told the music YouTube channel Genius, referring to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. 'I hate admitting that I'm only human – my ego wants to be Superman… The word I was thinking about when I thought about the last couple of years of my life was 'brutaful' – brutal and beautiful.' Smith also addresses the slap on his new album in the song Beautiful Scars, rapping: 'I hate when I lose it, but I face the music / 'Oh, why did he do it?' See, I'm only human'. 'Since the slap, Will Smith has been skulking below the cultural waterline waiting for the fog to clear,' says celebrity crisis expert Mark Borkowski. 'He hasn't just stepped back – he's evaporated into a curated silence, broken only by the occasional Instagram haiku or self-produced moment of contrition. This isn't reputation rehab, it's a kind of spiritual quarantine.' Smith was certainly slow to perform a mea culpa – it took him six months to release a video apologising to Chris Rock. And for his critics, his apologies and therapy-speak excuses all seemed like a cynical marketing ploy. 'Now, with new music on the way, he's tentatively in the zone. Smith's decades of cultural capital – his charm, box office clout, that carefully-built good guy image – acted as a sort of reputational firewall. It didn't save him, but it slowed the burn. The real craft begins now,' says Borkowski. But others aren't convinced. 'Will Smith's return to public life will take more than nostalgia and a few soulful lyrics,' says PR and branding expert Natalie Trice. 'Yes, he wants to be back in the limelight, maybe even a national sweetheart again, but audiences today want to see humility, not celebrity sentiment. There can be trips down Nineties memory lane galore, but if the elephant in the room remains looming in the corner, it risks looking like no real lessons will have been learnt. Emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and leading with creativity rather than controversy will be key, because a lasting comeback isn't just about wearing a back to front baseball cap, it's about regaining trust and taking responsibility.' Indeed, his flirty performance of his song First Love on stage with Spanish singer India Martinez in Miami in February was mocked by fans. 'This whole thing is cringe,' one wrote. 'Will Smith gives off really creepy old man vibes in this clip. Cringe,' another comment read. A third person said, 'I was waiting for Jada to come out from left stage and smack the s--t outta her for kissing her man.' Although Smith has finally addressed his violent outburst, he hasn't opened up about the peculiar dynamics of what he once called his 'bad marriage for life'. In 2020, Jada Pinkett Smith admitted to carrying on a multi-year 'entanglement' with the singer August Alsina during a period when she and Will were separated. Alsina has claimed that Will gave the relationship his 'blessing'. Will and Jada's open marriage has been well-known for years in Hollywood, with Rebel Wilson joking at the 2022 Baftas that Smith's best performance was 'being OK with all his wife's boyfriends'. For Smith, looking like a cuckolded husband wasn't great for his image. In 2023, while promoting her memoir, Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Will had actually been living separately since 2016 and weren't together at the time of the Oscars incident. Surprisingly, she says that Will's altercation with Chris Rock actually saved their marriage. 'I call it the 'holy slap' now because so many positive things came after it,' she said in December 2023. 'That moment of the s--t hitting the fan is when you see where you really are. After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will's side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him.' Smith and Pinkett Smith have been married since 1997 and have two children together, Jaden, 26, and Willow, 24. Smith also has a son, Trey, 32, with his ex, Sheree Zampino. Both Will and Jada have long denied rumours that they are members of the Church of Scientology, but Jada revealed in Worthy that she follows some of the Church's teachings. Smith certainly seems willing to put in the legwork to win back his fans, hence the tour of smaller UK venues, such as Scarborough's Open Air Theatre. While promoting Bad Boys: Ride or Die he visited eight cities in 12 days, including stops in Dubai and Riyadh, which Smith described as the first Hollywood premiere in Saudi Arabia. He appeared at the Grammys this year, for a special tribute to Quincy Jones, and has been speaking of plans to revive some of his other big movie hits. During an appearance on Twitch, he said: 'There's a really cool, really cool Hancock 2 idea. We haven't even talked about it so I'm gonna give you one little piece – Zendaya will be being approached for a role in Hancock 2.' But a run of sequels feels like a far cry from his previous A-list status, when he broke records as the only actor to have eight consecutive films break $100 million in the US box office and often spoke of his dream of playing Barack Obama. But it remains to be seen whether his slap still stings for movie-goers, or if his die-hard fans are willing to be carried along on the wave of nostalgia for 'the old Will'. 'Until now Will Smith has been in a kind of limbo,' says a Hollywood insider who asked not to be named. 'He wasn't completely cancelled as he still had small pockets of supporters and could trade on the memory of his commercial viability, but no one wanted to speak out for him. I do think he has a good chance to come back as there are few people in this industry who were as beloved – or lucrative – as Will Smith was prior to this incident.' 'But at 56, time is ticking on the youthful, sexy, comedic hero which Smith specialised in,' he adds. 'It will be much harder now for him to make that crossover into serious acting like he seemed poised to do with his [Oscar-winning performance in] King Richard. The whole escapade made him seem like a bit of a loser which is not a good look. If his action movies do well at the box office then I think people will forgive and forget. But the best days of his career are well and truly behind him.' In the meantime, there's always Scarborough. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Back from the slap: How Will Smith is plotting a return to the big time
When Will Smith stormed the stage at the Oscars in 2022 and slapped comedian and host Chris Rock, while shouting 'Get my wife's name out of your f---ing mouth', it shattered his public image as the charismatic and funny golden boy, and his status as one of Hollywood's most bankable stars. Three years later and the 56-year-old actor is clearly hoping we'll all forget 'Slap-gate', as he embarks on a comeback, releasing new music for the first time in 20 years and embarking on a tour across the UK and Europe this summer. The venues he's playing on his tour seem like quite a fall from grace for an Oscar-winning, Grammy-winning A-lister who is worth a reported $350 million (£270 million). But maybe he just fancied a trip to Scarborough and Wolverhampton this summer? 'Will Smith has been leaning very hard into nostalgia so that audiences will reframe him as that lovable, fun version of himself from before,' says Rachel Richardson, pop culture commentator and creator of the Highly Flammable Substack. 'It definitely feels like a last gasp at rehabilitation for him.' Smith had largely withdrawn from the spotlight after his assault on Chris Rock for mocking his wife Jada's alopecia, bar the release of his Apple TV drama Emancipation, in 2022, which was a critical and commercial flop. In the aftermath of the Oscars incident, Smith was banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years, Netflix paused development of his movie Fast and Loose, and revenue of the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation plunged 83 per cent, leading to the charity's closure. The first inklings that Smith might be trying to win back public support came at the Coachella music festival last summer, when Smith made a surprise appearance on-stage to sing his 1997 hit Men In Black. Then came the fourth instalment of his Nineties buddy-cop movie franchise Bad Boys, which first debuted in 1995. Now his album, Based On A True Story, released today, is yet another blast from the past, as Smith teams up with Jazzy Jeff, his collaborator from his Fresh Prince days, and pays tribute to his hit Nineties sitcom by wearing a Philadelphia basketball jacket and baseball hat on the cover. He also went viral on TikTok earlier this month, by recreating a Fresh Prince dance with rapper of the moment Doechii. Perhaps Smith is hoping that, like his Men In Black character, he can just wipe everyone's memory and it will be 1996 again, when he was smashing it at the box office and in the charts. Promoting this album is the first time that Smith has talked openly about the moment which derailed his career. 'I can look at [the Oscars incident] as an absolute mess, horrible, terrible – or I can look at it as a really great kintsugi opportunity, to rebuild something beautiful and powerful,' he told the music YouTube channel Genius, referring to the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. 'I hate admitting that I'm only human – my ego wants to be Superman… The word I was thinking about when I thought about the last couple of years of my life was 'brutaful' – brutal and beautiful.' Smith also addresses the slap on his new album in the song Beautiful Scars, rapping: 'I hate when I lose it, but I face the music / 'Oh, why did he do it?' See, I'm only human'. 'Since the slap, Will Smith has been skulking below the cultural waterline waiting for the fog to clear,' says celebrity crisis expert Mark Borkowski. 'He hasn't just stepped back – he's evaporated into a curated silence, broken only by the occasional Instagram haiku or self-produced moment of contrition. This isn't reputation rehab, it's a kind of spiritual quarantine.' Smith was certainly slow to perform a mea culpa – it took him six months to release a video apologising to Chris Rock. And for his critics, his apologies and therapy-speak excuses all seemed like a cynical marketing ploy. 'Now, with new music on the way, he's tentatively in the zone. Smith's decades of cultural capital – his charm, box office clout, that carefully-built good guy image – acted as a sort of reputational firewall. It didn't save him, but it slowed the burn. The real craft begins now,' says Borkowski. But others aren't convinced. 'Will Smith's return to public life will take more than nostalgia and a few soulful lyrics,' says PR and branding expert Natalie Trice. 'Yes, he wants to be back in the limelight, maybe even a national sweetheart again, but audiences today want to see humility, not celebrity sentiment. There can be trips down Nineties memory lane galore, but if the elephant in the room remains looming in the corner, it risks looking like no real lessons will have been learnt. Emotional intelligence, vulnerability, and leading with creativity rather than controversy will be key, because a lasting comeback isn't just about wearing a back to front baseball cap, it's about regaining trust and taking responsibility.' Indeed, his flirty performance of his song First Love on stage with Spanish singer India Martinez in Miami in February was mocked by fans. 'This whole thing is cringe,' one wrote. 'Will Smith gives off really creepy old man vibes in this clip. Cringe,' another comment read. A third person said, 'I was waiting for Jada to come out from left stage and smack the s--t outta her for kissing her man.' Although Smith has finally addressed his violent outburst, he hasn't opened up about the peculiar dynamics of what he once called his 'bad marriage for life'. In 2020, Jada Pinkett Smith admitted to carrying on a multi-year 'entanglement' with the singer August Alsina during a period when she and Will were separated. Alsina has claimed that Will gave the relationship his 'blessing'. Will and Jada's open marriage has been well-known for years in Hollywood, with Rebel Wilson joking at the 2022 Baftas that Smith's best performance was 'being OK with all his wife's boyfriends'. For Smith, looking like a cuckolded husband wasn't great for his image. In 2023, while promoting her memoir, Worthy, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Will had actually been living separately since 2016 and weren't together at the time of the Oscars incident. Surprisingly, she says that Will's altercation with Chris Rock actually saved their marriage. 'I call it the 'holy slap' now because so many positive things came after it,' she said in December 2023. 'That moment of the s--t hitting the fan is when you see where you really are. After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will's side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him.' Smith and Pinkett Smith have been married since 1997 and have two children together, Jaden, 26, and Willow, 24. Smith also has a son, Trey, 32, with his ex, Sheree Zampino. Both Will and Jada have long denied rumours that they are members of the Church of Scientology, but Jada revealed in Worthy that she follows some of the Church's teachings. Smith certainly seems willing to put in the legwork to win back his fans, hence the tour of smaller UK venues, such as Scarborough's Open Air Theatre. While promoting Bad Boys: Ride or Die he visited eight cities in 12 days, including stops in Dubai and Riyadh, which Smith described as the first Hollywood premiere in Saudi Arabia. He appeared at the Grammys this year, for a special tribute to Quincy Jones, and has been speaking of plans to revive some of his other big movie hits. During an appearance on Twitch, he said: 'There's a really cool, really cool Hancock 2 idea. We haven't even talked about it so I'm gonna give you one little piece – Zendaya will be being approached for a role in Hancock 2.' But a run of sequels feels like a far cry from his previous A-list status, when he broke records as the only actor to have eight consecutive films break $100 million in the US box office and often spoke of his dream of playing Barack Obama. But it remains to be seen whether his slap still stings for movie-goers, or if his die-hard fans are willing to be carried along on the wave of nostalgia for 'the old Will'. 'Until now Will Smith has been in a kind of limbo,' says a Hollywood insider who asked not to be named. 'He wasn't completely cancelled as he still had small pockets of supporters and could trade on the memory of his commercial viability, but no one wanted to speak out for him. I do think he has a good chance to come back as there are few people in this industry who were as beloved – or lucrative – as Will Smith was prior to this incident.' 'But at 56, time is ticking on the youthful, sexy, comedic hero which Smith specialised in,' he adds. 'It will be much harder now for him to make that crossover into serious acting like he seemed poised to do with his [Oscar-winning performance in] King Richard. The whole escapade made him seem like a bit of a loser which is not a good look. If his action movies do well at the box office then I think people will forgive and forget. But the best days of his career are well and truly behind him.'
