"Needs to sit down and talk to the Black community" - Stephen A. Smith demands Will Smith to explain Chris Rock slap

Stephen A. Smith thinks Will Smith has to open up about his slap on Chris Rock more than two years ago. Smith's comeback film "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" with Martin Lawrence premiered on Friday and it was already a box office hit with a worldwide opening of $104.6 million.

On Saturday's episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," the eccentric ESPN analyst discussed Will's comeback movie with Lawrence. He wants Smith to open up about his slap on Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony. He went further by demanding an explanation for the entire black community.

"Will Smith apologized. I'm not saying he even has to apologize, I'm saying that while I watch him and Martin Lawrence promoting this movie. And I'm quite sure the reason he hasn't addressed it is because the studios don't want him to and there's an obligation that you have with them. All fear, I get it. But somewhere along the way he has to sit down and talk to the Black community," Smith said. [12:42 - 13:21]

Stephen A. Smith explained that Will Smith was a role model for the Black community, which deserved to know why the actor slapped Chris Rock after a joke on stage. Stephen A. even claimed that Will wouldn't have done it if it was other comedians such as Jim Carrey, Ricky Gervais, Bill Murray or Bill Burr.

The longtime ESPN host also thought that a lot of people would have a hard time watching any of Will's future movies due to the incident. However, that might not be the case because "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" was a box office hit after just three days in the theaters.

The action-comedy flick's revenue will only increase in the coming weeks as it will be shown in countries such as Italy, Japan and China later this month.

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Stephen A. Smith to make follow up on his Will Smith take

Stephen A. Smith to make follow up on his Will Smith take

After his explosive take on Will Smith's new movie, Stephen A. Smith will have a follow-up commentary on the issue on Monday's episode of his YouTube show. It was likely due to the strong box office performance of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die." Stephen A. also got some more perspective on the situation from Will's friend and executive personal assistant, Charlie Mack.

"Yep. I said it. But I have some additional thoughts — thinking about all that Will & Martin have done for us all — especially after talking to my man Charlie Mack. I've got more to say on "The Stephen A. Smith Show/Podcast" tomorrow," Stephen A. wrote on X.

Stephen A. has many connections in Philadelphia, where he began his career as a journalist. Both Charlie Mack and Will Smith were born and raised in Philly.