WILL Smith wins Best Actor at the 2022 BET Awards for King Richard despite the Oscars slap controversy.
The King Richard actor did not appear at Sunday's BET Awards and has kept a low profile since he infamously slapped Chris Rock at this year's Academy Awards.
He has since been banned from attending the Oscars for a decade because of his outburst at the ceremony.
Smith beat the likes of Adrian Holmes and Jabari Banks for Bel Air, Anthony Anderson for Black-ish, Damson Idris for Snowfall, Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth, Forest Whitaker for Respect and Godfather of Harlem, and Sterling K. Brown for This Is Us to win the award on Sunday.
OSCARS SLAP
The now unforgettable moment occurred when iconic standup comic Chris made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, 50.
"Jada, I love you, G. I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it," the former Saturday Night Live castmate joked.
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Demi Moore famously shaved her head for her role in the 1997 movie.
Jada, on the contrary, has been struggling with hair loss for years due to her alopecia diagnosis, and last year decided to shave it all off.
Smith then stormed the stage and hit the presenter in what at first seemed like a stage bit before it all took a turn.
The audio and video feed were then cut for several seconds, presumably as a war of expletives was being hurled back and forth.
After the confrontation, a stunned Chris said: "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me."
When the video restarted, Will did not look pleased as he yelled at the funnyman: "Leave my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth."
WILL WINS OSCAR
Just minutes later, the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum won Best Actor for his role as Richard Williams in King Richard and took the stage with many anticipating he would apologize to Chris.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Will, 53, began his speech.
He later added: "I want to apologize to the Academy, I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees… This is a beautiful moment, and I'm not crying for winning an award…"
"… Love will make you do crazy things," Will said as he broke down in tears during his speech.
The star concluded by saying he hoped "the academy invites me back."
WILL'S APOLOGY
Days after the incident, Smith explained in a statement that the punch line was "too much for me to bear," and he "reacted emotionally."
"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line, and I was wrong. I am embarrassed, and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.
"There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness," Smith said, adding that he is resigning from the Academy.
"I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work. I am heartbroken.
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"I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film."
He concluded: "Change takes time, and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason."
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