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American actor Will Smith opened up about how boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. extended his support to him after he infamously slapped Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards.
As per the footage obtained by TMZ, the 54-year-old star revealed the incident while talking about his new film, Emancipation. Smith said that Mayweather called him 10 days in a row after the incident.
“I want to say something also about Floyd. 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, 'ay, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it.'”
Will Smith called Floyd Mayweather Jr. his “dude forever”
During the same interview, Will Smith revealed that while he and Floyd Mayweather Jr. “werent like friends,” after seeing the boxer's efforts to comfort him, Smith's thoughts changed about their friendship.
“That was every day he called me... and it's like, that's my dude forever right there.”
Mayweather was also present at the private screening of Smith's movie. He seemed to be nodding along as the latter .
Will Smith was banned from the Academy for 10 years for slapping Chris Rock
Will Smith faced a professional downfall after he slapped Chris Rock during this year's Academy Awards held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, on March 28, 2022.
Chris Rock was on stage to present the award for Best Documentary. While there, he looked over at Will Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and cracked a joke on her shaved head.
“Jada, I love you. GI Jane 2, can’t wait to see you.”
Jada Pinkett Smith is battling alopecia, a disease that can cause hair loss, due to which she started shaving her head completely. The actress has been vocal about her journey with the disease and is often seen talking about it on her Instagram handle. After Rock cracked the joke, she could be seen rolling her eyes.
Smith was then seen standing up and walking to the stage. Upon reaching Rock, Will smacked him right across the face on national television. Chris, who seemed visibly shocked, said:
“Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me.”
Smith was then seen returning to his seat and was heard yelling:
“Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth.”
In response, Chris Rock said:
“I'm going to...”
Some actors came up to Smith after the incident to calm him down. This includes Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry.
Days after the incident, Smith issued an apology over the incident on his Instagram handle and resigned from the Academy. However, this move came after the organization had banned him from attending any related events for 10 years.
