Will Smith's Popularity Is Finally Picking Up After the Slap 

Will Smith's popularity is picking up more than a year after 2022's infamous Oscars slap, according to new polling.

The actor was liked by 56 percent of respondents and disliked by 24 percent in the first quarter of 2023, according to a survey by YouGov.

Before the incident, in the first three months of 2022, Smith was liked by 66 percent of respondents. But following his smacking of Oscars host Chris Rock, that figure dropped to 49 percent in the year's second quarter.

At the March 28, 2022, ceremony, Smith came onstage and slapped Rock after the comedian cracked a joke about the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

At the time, Rock was presenting the Oscar for best documentary when he poked fun at Pinkett Smith's hair loss—comparing her to Demi Moore's character in the 1997 film G.I. Jane. Moore has a buzz cut in the movie.

"Jada, I love you—I can't wait for G.I. Jane 2," Rock said, prompting the Emmy winner to roll her eyes. Following Smith's slap, a startled Rock said, "Wow, Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me."

In response, Smith shouted from his seat, "Keep my wife's name out of your f****** mouth."

In the past, Pinkett Smith has been open about her experience with alopecia, a medical condition that causes hair loss. She first discussed the topic in 2018 on her talk show Red Table Talk.

"It was terrifying when it first started," she said at the time, noting that she pulled out "handfuls of hair" in the shower.

In December 2021, she updated fans on the condition of her alopecia.

"Mama's gonna have to take it down to the scalp so nobody thinks she got brain surgery or something," she captioned a video of herself, pointing out new areas of baldness. "Me and this alopecia are going to be friends...period!"

According to the Mayo Clinic, alopecia "can affect just your scalp or your entire body, and it can be temporary or permanent. It can be the result of heredity, hormonal changes, medical conditions or a normal part of aging. Anyone can lose hair on their head, but it's more common in men."

Last July, Smith released a nearly six-minute apology video to his Instagram page and YouTube channel.

"It's all fuzzy," Smith said about the slapping incident. "I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris: I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

After the slap, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has banned him from the Oscars ceremony for 10 years.

In February, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star appeared to win back some of his fans after poking fun at his Oscars slap in a self-deprecating video.

In the clip, Smith listened to a TikToker who suggested that people can make their lives more "interesting and fun" by asking objects how they feel about them.

"It sounds insane, but it will change your life," Sam Rossi, who goes by @missmoneyworking on the platform, said. "Did you know that you can pick any object, look at it and ask it what it thinks of you? So, for example, you can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you or what it thinks of you, and you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition."

Appearing intrigued, Smith reached off camera for his 2022 best actor Oscar, which he was awarded for his role in King Richard.

In the comments, fans praised the "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" singer.

"Will Smith is still Will Smith," one person said. "Absolute legend. Always has been and always will be."

"Will smith you will always be my favorite, one mistake doesn't make a person," a second commenter added. A third chimed in, "If you can't laugh at yourself right? Lol love it."

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