Will Smith had at least one good friend following the shocking Oscars slap incident on March 27. The King Richard star, 54, revealed in new comments that after he unceremoniously marched onstage to smack comedian Chris Rock over a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, boxing great Floyd Mayweather called him every day for 10 days straight. “I want to say something also about Floyd,” Smith said in video obtained by TMZ Sports, which you can SEE HERE.
“So, we’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends. 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.”
The video was reportedly taken during a private screening of Will’s upcoming AppleTV+ film Emancipation at The London Hotel. In the clip, Will was seen standing in the aisle as he related the story, after which the audience enthusiastically applauded. Another audience member then joked that Will had “rubbed it in his face today.” “I thought I was doing something good by inviting him [Floyd] here, he’s like, ‘well that’s my guy, we talk every day.'” The small audience then erupted in laughter.
Will has been steadily re-emerging into public life since the shocking onstage incident that continues to cause controversy across the entertainment industry. On October 26, he was seen in a photo alongside the Los Angeles Lakers for a rare appearance. “Huge thank you to Will Smith, who joined the team to discuss strength through togetherness, and practicing gratitude in times of great challenge,” the caption read. “All themes in his forthcoming masterpiece film, Emancipation.” In the photo, Will held up an iconic yellow and purple Los Angeles Lakers jersey with “Smith” emblazoned across the back. Emancipation is set for release on December 2.