Will Smith has bounced back after the Oscars slap, winning his first big award since the infamous incident.
It’s almost a year since the Fresh Prince of Bel Air actor, 54, shocked the world when he stormed the stage at the Academy Awards and slapped Chris Rock across the face for joking about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Shortly after the incident, Smith went on to win the best actor Oscar for King Richard, the biopic about Serena and Venus Williams’ father. Since then, Smith has gradually picked up the pieces of his career and tarnished reputation but Emancipation was noticeably snubbed from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations lists.
Now, as the first anniversary of the Oscars slap approaches, the actor has been honoured again, receiving an accolade at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday night.
Smith won the outstanding actor award for his performance in Apple TV+ film Emancipation, which sees him star as Peter, an enslaved man who flees a plantation and fights to continue evading his hunters.
The I Am Legend star did not attend the awards last night, but singer and actress Janelle Monae told the audience: ‘Will Smith could not be with us this evening. So we accept this on your behalf. Congratulations.’
Smith later acknowledged the win on social media, writing in an Instagram post: ‘WOW!! NAACP!! I am absolutely humbled by this!! I want to share this with my entire #Emancipation family – @antoinefuqua, @charmainebingwa, Ben, Bob, Jon the whole team at @westbrook and @appletvplus… I am so proud of the work we put into this film.
‘I would like to thank the NAACP for honoring our film! @derricknaacp – you and your entire organization – and the work you do all year round – is truly important, so to be recognized by y’all – it means a lot.’
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Showing he was watching from home, Smith wrote: ‘Also – can we give my girl @queenlatifah her flowers? She is KILLIN’ it as host tonight!’
Just last week, Smith appeared to make light of the Oscars incident in a clip where he reacted to a TikToker’s viral video, in which she encouraged people to ask objects what they think of their owners.
After nodding along to the video, Smith picked up his Oscar and held it up to the camera with a concerned look on his face, no doubt a nod to the fact the trophy – if it weren’t an inanimate object – would have a pretty low opinion of him after witnessing him hit Rock, 58.
It was recently reported that this year’s Oscars producers have put a ‘crisis team’ on standby in case of any ‘potential surprises’ like last year’s ceremony.
Other notable winners at this year’s NAACP Image Awards include Angela Bassett for entertainer of the year, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for outstanding motion picture.
NAACP Image Awards 2023 full winners list
Entertainer of the year
Angela Bassett
Outstanding motion picture
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outstanding actor in a motion picture
Will Smith – Emancipation
Outstanding actress in a motion picture
Viola Davis – The Woman King
Outstanding supporting actor in a motion picture
Tenoch Huerta – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outstanding supporting actress in a motion picture
Angela Bassett – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outstanding comedy series
Abbott Elementary
Outstanding actor in a comedy series
Cedric The Entertainer – The Neighborhood
Outstanding actress in a comedy series
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary
Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary
Outstanding drama series
P-Valley
Outstanding actor in a drama series
Nicco Annan – P-Valley
Outstanding actress in a drama series
Angela Bassett – 9-1-1
Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series
Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith – Power Book II: Ghost
Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series
Loretta Devine – P-Valley
Outstanding television movie, limited-series or dramatic special
The Best Man: The Final Chapters
Outstanding actor in a television movie, limited-series or dramatic special
Morris Chestnut – The Best Man: The Final Chapters
Outstanding actress in a television movie, limited-series or dramatic special
Niecy Nash-Betts – Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Outstanding supporting actor in a television movie, limited-series or dramatic Special
Keith David – From Scratch
Outstanding supporting actress in a television movie, limited-series or dramatic special
Nia Long – The Best Man: The Final Chapters
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