Why Black Folks Are Ignoring Tone-Deaf Stephen A. Smith’s Criticism Of Will Smith’s Return

As fans rushed to theaters this past weekend to catch “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” many were excited to see Will Smith’s first return to the big screen following the Oscars slap heard ‘round the world. Apparently, Stephen A. Smith wasn’t among them.

The sports TV personality had much to say about the movie star’s first mainstream project since the incident, in which Will attacked host Chris Rock onstage during the 2022 Oscars ceremony.

“I’m not nearly as interested in seeing Will Smith in the movies [as] I am seeing him do an actual sit down interview with somebody to explain why he did what he did,” Stephen A. said during the June 9 episode of his podcast. “Ladies and gentlemen, the Black community – figuratively – was slapped.”

Stephen A. argued that Will’s attack on Rock took the spotlight from the night’s Black excellence...and for that, Will “deserved to get his ass kicked.”

But how fair is this critique in 2024? Stephen A. must’ve forgotten that mere days after the slap, Will apologized to Rock publicly. The following year, Rock joked about the slap in his Netflix comedy special “Selective Outrage” and has barely addressed it since. It seems as if the two have both moved on.

Following the June 9 episode, fans and critics alike hit social media to respond to Stephen A.’s 16-minute rant.

“I’ll be first to admit I didn’t like he did that but everyone makes mistakes. He didn’t kill nobody. It happened, get over it Stephen!” wrote @quayeofficial on X

“I’m going to support Will next week. I may watch it twice,” @MzTeel wrote.

In its opening weekend, “Bad Boys: Ride or Die,” co-starring Martin Lawrence, grossed $56.5 million in domestic theater sales and $104.6 million globally, already surpassing its original budget.

Following the movie’s success and backlash from social media, Stephen A. addressed his audience on his latest podcast episode saying “I gotta stand down” before emphasizing the impact that Will’s show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” had on the Black community and Hollywood as a whole.

But he promised not to retract his statements or apologize for them, adding that instances like the slap “are used as a license to castigate the rest of us.” Stephen A. might be right, but he really should move on, as everyone else has.