What it is to spend the golden age that is your 20s to work the nine yards in order to elevate yourself from the ranks of a sitcom actor to a bona fide movie star who can bring in just as many numbers as accolades for three decades only to give to a slap-up on the biggest night of your professional life and for it to engulf all the preceding years as Hollywood's golden boy, is a story only Will Smith can tell. And if the reports about the $40 million lawsuit are true, then fans believe he must have.

In the time that has passed since the infamous Will Smith and Chris Rock Oscar slap, there has been a public apology, one too many jokes, and allegedly a $40 million lawsuit filed by Chris Rock against Will Smith.

The uproar against Will Smith following the Oscar incident was loud, but so was the support. While a section believed he was right in putting his foot down or his palm up in this case, others deemed it simply unacceptable. However, Smith moved past with a public apology and another blockbuster alongside Martin Lawrence while Chris Rock kept up his act. This led to speculation that the two might have settled the drama in court, with Rock winning an alleged $40 million. However, there was no $40 million lawsuit for the star.

Chris Rock did not win the fan war, nor did he win a $40 million court case against Will Smith. In fact, there is no evidence indicating that the comedian ever even filed a lawsuit against the rapper. This is very much on brand with his reaction to the entire ordeal as he chose to ride the high horse, even back then. The rumors about the non-existent court case and the shiny $40 million are an amalgamation of rock earning $40 million for his Netflix standups and, well, imagination.

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While it may have been debunked that there is no truth in the news, given the grueling bad blood to this day, the odds were definitely in its favor.

The night of the Oscars where Will Smith slapped Chris Rock for joking about Jada Pinkett Smith's health condition, is described as a moment of rekindling in the actress' memoir. Revealed to have given up on her marriage, the actress only remembers it as a minor hiccup, after which she checked up on her husband. She is not the only from the family who would not change things the second time around.

Following the incident, Jaden Smith had tweeted "And That's How We Do It," which, given the unfolding situation at that point in time, did not seem like a harmless lyric. While Jaden Smith never elaborated on the situation, it was clear that Will Smith had the support of his family, at least in this situation.

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Do you think Chris Rock should have filed a $40 million lawsuit against Will Smith? Let us know in the comments below.