Will Smith Teases He’s ‘Trying To Get Back’ On Social Media Almost 5 Months After Oscars Slap

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Will Smith, 53, hinted that he’s “trying to get back” on social media, in a new Instagram post. The actor, who stepped away from the public both online and in person after he slapped Chris Rock on stage at the 2022 Academy Awards, shared a hilarious video of a baby gorilla cautiously poking a bigger gorilla to get their attention. The bigger animal kept looking back while the smaller one kept stepping back and hiding.

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“Me trying to get back on social,” Will captioned the clip. It didn’t take long for his followers to show support and humor in the comments section. “Like Nike bro, just do it,” one fan wrote while another shared, “Lol. We will welcome you back man! We’ve missed you! Everyone goes through shit. You’re human, just like the rest of us! COME BACK WILL!” A third posted, “We still love you, Will” and many others shared laughing emojis and hearts.

Will’s latest Instagram post comes just a few weeks after he shared a public apology for the slap on YouTube. In the apology, he answered some fan questions about the incident and said he reached out to Chris directly but he wasn’t ready to talk. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” he said. “So I will I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable.”

He also apologized to Chris’ family. “I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview that Chris’s mother did. And that was one of the things about that moment I just didn’t realize,” he explained. “I wasn’t thinking but how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I want to apologize to Chris’s family. Specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. And this is probably irreparable.”

Just a few days after his apology, a source told us that Will’s family, including his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who he was defending during the slap, was “very proud” of him. “Jada is proud that Will finally made the decision to apologize publicly,” the source close to the famous couple told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “She feels that in addition to the written apology, him opening up about it by talking was a better way to convey the truth in his heart. Will wishes he could take it all back, but he can’t and all he can do is try to heal the wounds from here.”