Will Smith Gets Banned From Saturday Night Live for Slapping Chris Rock at Oscars
Saturday Night Live has banned Will Smith from their show after the Chris Rock slap incident at the Oscars. The show's producers were worried that they would not be able to get any other big star to come to the show if they called Will back to the studio. Will also publicly apologised to Chris in a video, but Chris did not accept it.
Hollywood star Will Smith is apparently not welcome back on Saturday Night Live. The actor is reportedly being permanently banned after slapping comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards. The NBC sketch series is reportedly banning the actor permanently following the Oscars slap, reports aceshowbiz.com. According to Radar Online, the 'King Richard' star will never be invited back to SNL after what he did to Chris Rock at the March event. Regina Hall Reacts on Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Apology, Says ‘I Know It’s a Difficult Road’.
The comedian is a former important part of the show, having starred in it from 1990 to 1993. "Smith will never ever be invited back to SNL after what he did to Chris," a source told the site. "The show is a temple comedian, and no one wants him around anymore."
"Forget hosting, Will won't even be able to get a ticket to sit in the audience anymore. He's not welcome." The show's producers are allegedly also worried that if Smith comes to the show again, other big celebrities will refuse to join in the future.
"If Will Smith was invited back, SNL would never get another big celebrity ever again," the source explains. "Stars would rightly boycott the show if he was welcomed inside Studio 8H."
Will slapped Chris at the 2022 Academy Awards in March over the latter's joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. He then shouted at the comedian, who was presenting onstage, twice to "keep my wife's name out of your f**king mouth!" Will has apologised several times for his behaviour at the live event.
In a video posted in July, the actor said, "It's all fuzzy. I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behaviour was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk. I hate when I let people down. So it hurts, it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."
"And the work I'm trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I'm trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself," he added. "I'm human and I made a mistake, and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t." Chris Rock Turns Down Offer to Host Oscars 2023 after Will Smith Slap Incident.
However, Rock seemingly didn't accept the apology as he said earlier this month, "F**k your hostage video," during his stand-up show at London's O2 Arena. He went on calling out the Oscar-winning actor saying that Will had managed to do an impersonation of a "perfect man for 30 years" before showing he is "just as ugly as the rest of us."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 16, 2022 04:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).