Award season has officially blown the trumpet, and the most prestigious Academy Awards are waiting with bated breath in the pipeline to honor the stars of tomorrow. As the actors vie to etch their names on that golden trophy, the Oscars return sparks a probe on the highlights of yesterday. Since award ceremonies are about landing on the good books of history, it is just as much about the ones who do not get to do so. And as the Academy retains its elephant’s memory, the question that looms is about Will Smith’s attendance after the infamous Oscar slapgate incident.

So, could 2025 mark the former’s attendance in LA after two years of no-show?

They do not call the Oscars the film industry’s biggest night for nothing. As the red carpet unfurls like a Hollywood fairytale, one name lingers in the air–Will Smith. The last time he stepped onto this stage in 2022, it was not just to collect the golden statue. But to deliver an unscripted history-making slap heard around the world, leading to his swift resignation from the Academy and a decade-long ban from AMPAS events. As a result, Smith will not be attending the Oscars this year. 

During the 94th Academy Awards, the Bad Boys actor walked onstage and slapped Chris Rock in response to a sensitive joke he directed at Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head, an outcome of alopecia. Smith did not stop there. Upon returning to his seat, he shouted profanity at Rock, refusing to issue an apology despite offering one to the Academy and the other nominees. Although Smith did apologize the next day, even a few years later, the incident recurs every time an award ceremony mishap happens.

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The Academy may not have forgotten the incident after the controversy ensued, but Will Smith and Chris Rock? They have signed a peace treaty to settle the dust.

In a 2024 interview with The Mirror, Cedric the Entertainer, a close friend of Will Smith and Chris Rock, revealed that the Oscar clash had been finally settled. According to him, Smith and Rock acknowledged that they “crossed a line” that night, and since have been trying to reconcile. The Neighborhood star also confessed that there was more to the incident than met the eye, and what tabloids chose to highlight.

The slap allegedly stemmed from deeply “personal” reasons, underscoring years of Chris Rock’s mocks about Smith’s marriage and relationship with his wife. It was more an outcome of impending resentment that boiled down to one outrageous moment that defined the 2022 Oscar ceremony single-handedly. However, the truce treaty may apply to the stars, but not the Oscars, since there is no turning back on the 10-year suspension.

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What do you think of Will Smith's another year of no-show at the Oscars? Let us know in the comments below!