It appears that Will Smith and Floyd Mayweather have forged a solid friendship. All because of the Oscars’ infamous slap.
During a private screening of Smith’s Emancipation, the 54-year-old actor took the time to acknowledge Mayweather and his support over the past seven months.
The video from the event, obtained by TMZ, shows Smith sharing a few kind words about the legendary fighter, who was also present. The Academy Award-winning actor revealed that Mayweather had called him immediately after the Oscars incident and continued to monitor him for ten days straight.
“I want to say something also about Floyd. We’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends,” Smith began. “And, the day after the Oscars, for 10 days he called me every day. And he was like, ‘Hey, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it. That was every day he called me, and it’s like, that’s my dude forever right there.”
Smith faced a negative reaction this year after assaulting Chris Rock during the 94th Oscar ceremony.It all started when Rock went on stage to present Best Documentary Feature, and made a few public jokes.One of the targets was Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who had been wearing a shaved head since she was diagnosed with alopecia.Rock had fun with his hair, telling Pinkett Smith he couldn’t wait to meet her at G.I.2.
A few moments later, Smith went on stage and smacked Rock. Then he went back to his seat and screamed, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.”
The Academy then banned Smith from all events pertaining to the Academy for 10 years. The actor then apologized to Rock on a YouTube video, admitting his own, “behavior was unacceptable.”
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he said. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Rock addressed the message during his European comic tour with Dave Chappelle, suggesting that the excuses were not genuine.
“Fuck your hostage video,” he said. “Yes, that shit hurt. He played [Muhammad] Ali. I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.”