Will Smith Sure Seems Poised For A Comeback ... But Did He Ever Really Leave?
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It looks like the Fresh Prince is climbing back into the spotlight!
Welcome to The Culture Catchall, where we discuss this week’s biggest pop culture moments in snackable form. I’m Ty Cole, a HuffPost contributor based in Los Angeles who covers entertainment and lifestyle.
The past couple of years have been quite the roller coaster for Will Smith. Imagine making history on the one hand in 2022 by becoming the fifth Black entertainer to snag the coveted Best Actor award at the Oscars, and on the other hand creating headlines by delivering a slap heard round the world. That’s a bit of a wild ride.
The “Hitch” star only gradually started to make appearances at Hollywood functions and premieres following that big moment — he even starred in the critically panned Apple TV+ film “Emancipation” later that year — but it seems like he’s on the road to redemption. After generating buzz around the trailer release for the fourth installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise, the Grammy winner shocked fans at Coachella when musician J Balvin brought him out to perform the song “Men in Black.” The “King Richard” actor was not only supported by his fans but also his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who was in attendance.
Some folks on social media are dubbing the performance his big comeback moment after the whole debacle.
I can’t wait for the Will Smith comeback. Y’all really showed yall ass when it came to Will and we remember
— X-🆂🆆🅰🅽🅽🆈 (@swaniibwoi) April 15, 2024
All Will Smith jokes aside (that WE all took part in) there is nothing that can make me look down upon this man. Brother had a moment of weakness and paid the price for it. And what he’s done for the culture will be irreplaceable and never forgotten. Hope the comeback is strong! https://t.co/AOMnrLQhYH
— Christian Covington (@thetangibleC4) April 15, 2024
The way you can actually hear Will Smith rap and it's not 90% backing track like most of the Coachella clips I've seen. Old school rappers were built different. 🙌🏾 https://t.co/1PJXpHVxuT
— Reecie @BlackWomenViews (@ReecieColbert) April 15, 2024
Saw a video went tweet the other day with a Will Smith song/video saying they wish newer actors had like songs that went with their films and boom Will Smith pops up at Coachella. Maybe we don’t need the new actors, we still got Willy Will at home. https://t.co/Ik5pNpi1Yc
— Caroline Renard (@carolinerenard_) April 15, 2024
But honestly, I never felt like he went anywhere. (Just think about it, Pinkett Smith’s memoir “Worthy” had so many of us talking about the couple.)
Of course, the slap incident was jaw-dropping (I mean, I initially thought it was a scripted stunt!) — but the backlash? Well, let’s just say it lasted much longer than it should have.
Remember the nugget of wisdom from Denzel Washington that Smith shared during his Oscar acceptance speech? “At your highest moment, be careful — that’s when the devil comes for you.” Wise words, indeed.
Maybe the devil tried coming for Smith’s career, but did he succeed? Definitely not — at least not to Smith’s biggest fans. Plus, at this point, Hollywood has moved on to whatever the current scandal is now, perhaps just in time for Smith to take on “summertime” once more.
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