- Celebrities. Will Smith delivers message to Chris Rock over infamous Oscars slap: What did he say?
- Celebrities. Will Smith takes a shot at Jada Pinkett Smith with another woman as the cause of his success
Will Smith's career hit an all-time low at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony when the Men in Black star slapped Chris Rock on the stage for insulting his estranged wife, but now the 56-year-old has finally pulled himself back together. How did he do it?
The internet exploded with chatter when the actor came on stage and struck the comedian moments after he joked about Jada Pinkett's alopecia, before he uttered the infamous, "Keep my wife's name out of your mouth" words.
Fans found themselves split between whether he was right to defend the 53-year-old mother of his two children, or whether his conduct crossed a line and if he should face legal action.
It was rock bottom, and Omarr Rambert, executive producer of Smith's latest album, revealed it left the I Am Legend actor in uncharted territory as he became public enemy number one.
"This was the very, very first time that he wasn't the good guy," Omarr Rambert told The Washington Post. "That the internet treated him like the villain,"
"[Now] he just wants to be vulnerable and honest and show other sides of himself."
How has Smith bounced back?
Smith has just released his new set of songs in collaboration with Sean Paul, but turned to names such as Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar to figure out how to approach his Beautiful Scars album.
First, however, he had to leave the United States as he headed to India to practice meditation and yoga in the nation famed for its holistic methods through the Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist religions.
Ready to return to the USA to produce the album, he also made sure he kept on top of his mental health by ensuring he has a full-time therapist on hand to consult with if he feels overwhelmed.
"[Will] travels with a therapist," a Hollywood insider told The Post. "Someone on staff. He never leaves without someone with him. This was before the slap.
"Their full-time job is to be his therapist. I was told he goes places, and there's someone that comes with him. It's a woman."