🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
For Will Smith, 2022 may be the year he endured some of his highest highs and his lowest lows.
Smith walked on stage at the Academy Awards twice this year—once to slap Chris Rock and once to collect his Best Actor Oscar, with both moments sealing their place in pop culture history.
Smith endured speculation about his family life and marriage in the wake of the Oscars, before he eventually returned to public life with a video apology. He ended the year by promoting his next movie, even as the Men in Black star has a number of other projects on the horizon for 2023.
Here's a look back at Will Smith's 2022.
January 2022
Throughout the previous year, Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith had endured speculation about their marriage after it was revealed Jada had had an extramarital affair with rapper August Alsina. Discussions regarding the state of their marriage would continue into 2022.
Smith was busy in the first quarter of 2022 as he campaigned throughout the awards season for his role in the biopic King Richard. He was touted as a multi-award winner for playing Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. The two sporting titans joined Smith at many of the award events throughout the early months of the year.
The Golden Globes were largely being boycotted in 2022, so even though he didn't collect the award in person, Smith won the Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama—his first Golden Globe win after his seventh nomination.
February 2022
Smith's campaign trail continued in February as he picked up more nominations and wins for King Richard.
On February 8, he received nominations for Best Actor and Best Film (as he was also a producer on King Richard), his third and fourth career nominations.
On February 27, he won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
March 2022
The month when everything changed for Smith's career. He received a few more awards for King Richard and was expected to pick up the big one—an Academy Award for the same role.
On March 27, Smith was in the front row as comedian Chris Rock made some jokes whilst presenting an award. "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, alright," Rock said, referencing Jada Pinkett Smith's head. After initially laughing, Smith then walked on stage and slapped Rock across the face before shouting, "Keep my wife's name out your f****** mouth." Uncensored footage of the incident was watched tens of millions of times online.
The show continued and Smith was asked if he wanted to leave. He stayed and later that hour, he walked up to accept his Best Actor award. He tearfully apologized to the Academy and to his fellow nominees on stage.
This moment was dissected and reported for weeks afterward, with many celebrities and experts weighing in. Smith posted an apology to Rock on social media before stepping away from public life for four months.
April 2022
Though Smith was in the middle of a social media hiatus, it didn't stop the conversations about his actions and personal life from emerging online.
As a result of his actions, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences banned Smith from attending the event for ten years. Smith said, "I accept and respect the Academy's decision."
Rock, meanwhile, was back on the road performing comedy and continued to tour, but didn't address the incident. Comedian Ricky Gervais spoke out on Jada, saying her alopecia is "not a disability."
Details of Smith's home life involving his marriage and children started to re-emerge. An old letter seemingly written by daughter Willow Smith to Jada's former friend Tupac went viral. Smith's account of his personal "low point" resurfaced, as he described a party he threw for Jada. Old footage emerged of Will pleading with Jada to stop discussing their marriage during an Instagram Live.
A 2018 episode of her show Red Table Talk was also highlighted as Jada described crying on her wedding day to Will because she "never wanted to be married."
May-June 2022
Smith kept a low profile during the months of May and June 2022. He maintained a social media silence despite continued speculation about his life and marriage.
July 2022
"It's been a minute...," Smith wrote as he returned to social media at the end of July with a 5-minute minute video, answering questions some of his fans might have had. He confirmed he hadn't yet spoken to Rock about the slap, and reiterated that it "had nothing to do" with his wife Jada.
August 2022
Normal service seemingly resumed for Smith in August as he started posting more content on social media. This included some meme videos which made subtle references to the controversial year he'd had so far.
Despite his return, Newsweek reported that he was losing tens of thousands of social media followers per day at the end of August.
September 2022
Smith also had a quiet September as he posted only a few times on social media. When he did, he shared footage from his vacation in Ecuador.
One of his posts was multiple pictures and videos of exotic butterflies. "I know I'm getting old when I make a whole post of butterflies from the Amazon," he joked.
October 2022
Smith was back on the promotional trail in October as he shared the first teaser footage for his upcoming drama Emancipation.
He also started staging preview screenings for the movie, sharing it with the likes of Dave Chappelle, Tyler Perry, A$AP Rocky, and the LA Lakers basketball team.
November 2022
Smith continued his trajectory back into the public consciousness with more social media posts, and celebrity collaborations; he dropped content for his upcoming Apple TV+ exclusive movie Emancipation.
Smith shared behind-the-scenes footage, and his own account of shooting the slavery-based movie, due on streaming services the following month.
He also started to give interviews again, taking part in junkets and appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. During his conversation with Noah, he teared up again and called the Oscars incident "a mess."
December 2022
Emancipation was released on Apple TV+ to largely positive reviews from audiences and critics. Despite its success, it was "snubbed" for a nomination at the Golden Globes, which could suggest it will not receive any recognition at next year's Academy Awards either.
Smith also made his first return to Jada's show Red Table Talk in December, though his episode featured him as the host alongside his three children—Jaden, Willow, and Trey Smith talking about the themes surrounding his upcoming movie.
What Next for Will Smith in 2023? Will He Ever Live Down 'The Slap'?
Jude Engelmayer, president of public relations firm HeraldPR told Newsweek: "Hollywood and fans are forgiving after enough time and reflection, and we have seen it with several people, Mel Gibson included. Smith was beloved and affable, and this will pass as long as he stays low, remorseful, and keeps out of trouble."
When it comes to Smith's career, Engelmayer acknowledges that the industry isn't ready to consider him for awards just yet. "For this year, the process of healing may not work for him. While Hollywood has a forgiving nature, this might be too soon," he said.
While Smith's year has been full of ups and downs, the managing partner of the boutique entertainment and sports law firm of Salzano Ettinger Lampert & Wilson, Frank Salzano, believes the comeback is on for Smith.
"Hollywood and mainstream media historically has a short memory and loves redemption stories. If this holds true, Smith should look forward to a bounce-back year in 2023," he told Newsweek.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more