Will Smith was well on his way to becoming the world’s biggest star, but it came tumbling down at the Oscars in 2022. Smith’s slap to Oscar host Chris Rock was heard around the world and instantly took away attention from his eventual win on the same night. The actor spoke about the need to be a protector and indirectly defended his action during his Oscars speech.
This was not the first time Smith has been connected to violence, though. The actor’s slap led to many speculations about his past and his history with violence. Smith has spoken about his troubled childhood with an abusive parent. He was also arrested in connection with the assault of William Hendricks, a record promoter.
Will Smith was arrested back in 1989 for allegedly assaulting a record promoter
Since the ‘90s, Will Smith has been unstoppable in his rise to stardom. The actor began his career as a musician and after winning two Grammys, quickly became a TV star with the sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He then went on to star in action flicks such as Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, and more to become a superstar.
Parallelly, Smith also gained credibility as a dramatic actor with films like Six Degrees of Separation, The Pursuit of Happyness, and more. He finally won the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard, but the glory was marred by his actions earlier in the ceremony. Smith slapped host Chris Rock on live TV after the latter made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
This was not the first time Will Smith got himself embroiled in a controversy. The actor’s personal life has long been on display and his reportedly open marriage with his wife caused significant controversies. However, even before he became a huge movie star, he was arrested on assault charges after being accused by record promoter William Hendricks.
The actor was accused of being involved in the assault on Hendricks, which reportedly left the record promoter nearly blind (via Atlanta Black Star). The incident reportedly occurred only days after Smith won a Grammy. The charges were reportedly dismissed as Smith claimed that another man assaulted Hendricks while he was present.
Will Smith’s history with violence traces back to his childhood
Many theories have been going around about Will Smith’s assault charges on William Hendricks. Ties to the Junior Black Mafia, who allegedly kidnapped Hendricks’ son during the case, and other members of the gang were speculated by fans (via X). However, Smith’s history with violence did not just begin with the alleged assault and the Oscar slap.
Smith has been vocal about his abusive childhood, stressing his father’s behavior toward his mother. The actor recounted an incident of domestic violence inflicted on his mother by his father, which reportedly changed his life. Smith wrote about the incident in his memoir Will,
Within everything that I have done since then — the awards and accolades, the spotlights and attention, the characters and the laughs — there has been a subtle string of apologies to my mother for my inaction that day. For failing her in the moment. For failing to stand up to my father. For being a coward.
In his Oscar speech for King Richard, Smith spoke about protecting and loving people and said that love makes people do crazy things, in a way defending his slap at Chris Rock. But there seems to be some deeper issues beneath the Bad Boys star.
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