Nearly a year after the slap that shook live TV, Will Smith appears to be taking both a literal and figurative hard look at his 2022 Oscar win.
On Feb. 20, the actor shared a TikTok post stitched to a video that claimed to have a way to make life more “interesting and fun.”
Warning: the video below includes words that are profane.
In the original video created by a TikToker known on the platform as @missmoneyworking, the user shares what she describes as a life-changing approach to self-assessment.
“It sounds insane, but it will change your life,” the user asserts on one side of the split video, Smith appears on the other. “And by changing your life, I mean it will make your life so much more interesting and fun.”
“Did you know that you can pick any object? Look at it and ask it what it thinks of you?” the user continues. “So, for example, you can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you or what it thinks of you, and you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition.”
The user goes on to add, “You can ask your car what it thinks of you. You can even ask money what it thinks of you.”
The video ends with Smith appearing to take in the TikToker’s words before pulling out his Oscar statue and resting it on his knee.
Smith doesn't say a word, but he appears to be referencing the story behind his first Oscars win and what happened moments before he got that statue. Essentially, he seems to be asking: What would this statue say about him if it could talk?
Last year, during the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, Smith's behavior sparked public backlash after he climbed the award show stage to assault presenter Chris Rock.
At the time, Smith appeared to react to a jab Rock made about his wife and actor Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head. Pinkett Smith revealed her alopecia diagnosis in 2018 on an episode of "Red Table Talk."
After slapping Rock, Smith returned to his seat and continued to shout profanities at the stand-up comic.
Minutes later, the actor won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical drama "King Richard."
During his acceptance speech, Smith made an apology to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences before saying, “Love will make you do crazy things.”
Smith did not make an apology to Rock during his speech. The next day, he apologized to Rock and the Academy via social media.
Pinkett Smith responded during an episode on "Red Table Talk," saying, “My deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile.”
In April 2022, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ board of governors banned Will Smith from attending the Academy Awards ceremony for 10 years. Smith responded in a statement that said, “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
