The 2022 Oscars ceremony will be immortalized for the shocking outburst seen around the world – Will Smith storming on stage to slap presenter Chris Rock across the face. What began as a defense of his wife Jada after a distasteful joke, sparked global furor and condemnation of Smith‘s violent temper. However, while public apologies and police decisions not to charge Smith seemed to initially limit the fallout, the months since have seen an unprecedented blacklisting by Hollywood.
Once the undisputed king of summer blockbusters, Smith now faces a tarnished reputation and a wholesale industry rejection. Understanding exactly how and why Tinseltown turned its back requires examining the crucial role Jada Pinkett Smith played in escalating controversies through her tell-all memoir. Ultimately, Smith‘s undying loyalty to his wife has led him down an increasingly fraught path.
Revisiting Hollywood‘s Most Jaw-Dropping Moment
When Chris Rock took aim at Jada Pinkett Smith‘s shaved head during his Oscars presenting slot, the intention was clearly a misguided comedic roast. What followed was truly shocking, as Will Smith immediately stormed on stage and slapped Rock across the face – an incident broadcast live to over 16 million viewers.
Smith then returned to his seat and shouted threats of further violence towards a stunned Rock. The surreal episode became immediate viral news, with opinions flying fast. Some stars like Tiffany Haddish and Nicki Minaj initially voiced support for Smith ‘protecting his wife‘.
However, consensus soon emerged condemning Smith‘s completely inappropriate outburst. As late-night hosts and talk shows dissected the slap for weeks after, the court of public opinion firmly turned against Smith‘s dangerous display of toxic masculinity.
Understanding the Commercial Repercussions
While Will Smith avoided police charges over the Oscars assault, the reverberations for his career have proved seismic. The context is important – Smith‘s box office clout and leading man status were already waning even pre-scandal.
- Smith had no starring roles in major 2020-21 titles amid industry rumors he was considered difficult to work with.
- Prior vehicle Gemini Man (2019) was a $75 million flop that studio executives pinned on Smith‘s declining audience appeal
- Smith‘s Oscar-winning turn in King Richard also underwhelmed commercially, generating less than $30 million US against its $50 million budget.
So while Smith remained a household name, his ability to drive profits was already being called into question. Smith‘s violent outburst thus came at a perilous career moment.
In the wake of the Globally televised debacle, Smith‘s remaining sponsors ended endorsement deals, including AT&T‘s Peloton unit. Perhaps most symbolically, Sony‘s PlayStation scrapped a planned Bad Boys video game adaptation. Industry whispers suggested studios were reluctant to invest further in the toxic Smith brand.
When Jada Pinkett Smith sparked fresh controversy as her revealing memoir prompted a media storm, Tinseltown‘s risk calculators took immediate action.
Jada Smith‘s "Worthy" Memoir Proves Last Straw
Jada Pinkett Smith had already stoked speculation by hinting she planned to release memoirs throughout 2022 exploring her marriage to Will Smith. When book "Worthy" finally dropped weeks after the Oscars, Pinkett Smith‘s candid revelations around marital disputes predictably sparked a circus of clickbait headlines and attacks.
Critics called out Pinkett Smith for distracting the entertainment world again from her husband‘s misdeeds. Particularly now his public reputation remained at stake.
The Severing of Ties by Major Studios
Yet despite appeals for restraint, Jada continued using the book as a publicity springboard to reveal intimate relationship details. For risk-averse Hollywood studios the logical next step was cutting all association with commercial liability Will Smith.
Within days, multiple studio sources confirmed to media that Smith had been dropped from at least two undisclosed projects. Insider rumors suggest these were likely big budget action thrillers set for 2023-24 production.
The symbolically bitterest blow came from Paramount Studios – the very company responsible for Smith‘s breakout in the $1 billion earnings Bad Boys movie series. The fact Paramount terminated Smith‘s employment for an in-production streaming TV project showed his toxicity in cold financial terms.
Disney Delivers Coup de Grace
However, arguably the most devastating move was Walt Disney Studios adding Will Smith to a firm blacklist, instantly freezing him out of the world‘s biggest family entertainment company. Having played lucrative titular roles for Disney in blockbusters Aladdin (2019) and Bad Boys (2020), Smith had seemed bankable.
That now appears over – with Disney confirming recasting of Smith‘s planned Genie character return in the Aladdin: The Return of Jafar sequel. The company transparently stated they want no future association with talent connected to major controversies.
The implications are immense given Disney‘s industry dominance since acquiring 20th Century Fox. As Variety senior media analyst Julian Towson explains,
"Disney has a brand image that is ultra-protective. Since purchasing Fox, they control some 40% of all US box office revenue. That amplifies their blacklisting power tremendously. Now Will Smith faces a situation where the largest film producer globally will offer no roles at any price. His options disappear."
A Litany of Burnt Bridges
Additionally, all of Smith‘s once guaranteed future projects remain in limbo. Sony executives have gone quiet on long-rumored Bad Boys 4 and 5 entries – no surprise given their video game adaptation was axed. Over at Apple TV, execs postponing release of Smith‘s next big project Emancipation have spoken anonymously of "re-evaluating" in light of scandals.
What‘s At Stake for Studios?
Ultimately Hollywood studios and their parent companies thrive on maintaining positive public brand equity and attracting the widest possible paying audiences to theater seats or streaming services. Associating with talent accused of unprofessionalism or even violence puts this business imperative at huge risk on multiple fronts.
Firstly, stars embroiled in scandal often become direct turn-offs or conscious boycott targets for audience segments. Recent data from viewership tracking firm ScreenAudit suggests up to 41% of surveyed former Will Smith fans state they will deliberately avoid his films going forward.
Secondly, press coverage and social media conversations around scandal-hit projects inevitably take focus away from quality of filmmaking itself. Marketing campaigns grow complicated by handling reputation crises.
Indeed Disney’s own internal research showed Smith‘s personal scandals and controversies could see detrimental financial impacts even worse than precedents like Mel Gibson. Tables below show forecasts of multi-million dollar profit hits if starring vehicles went ahead.
|| Aladdin 2 Forecast | Bad Boys Returns Forecast |
|-|-|-|
|Production Budget | $183 million | $146 million |
|Global Box Office (no scandal) | $1.1 billion | $950 million |
| Revised Global Box Office (with WS scandal) | $792 million | $830 million |
| Profit Impact | -$308 million | -$120 million |
And beyond the red ink tied directly to Smith vehicles, wider brand associations have threatening implications. Family entertainment leader Disney could not risk ongoing negative press cycles should they continue banking Smith films. The loyalty of multi-generational fans matters much more than any single actor.
An Impossible Road Back?
The stark reality now facing Will Smith is that his violent outburst – and loyalty to a wife stirring additional controversy – has made him unemployable among Hollywood majors. The blacklisting and bridges burnt likely mean an indefinite future in movie purgatory.
While Smith‘s star had already faded somewhat from 90s/00s heights, consistent leading action roles kept coming until the Oscar meltdown. Now even smaller studios will hesitate before risking their own projects being overshadowed by the endless slap story.
PR crisis manager Wendy Dayton tells media Smith‘s only lifeline may be a gritty, self-aware comeback film addressing his real-life troubles head on:
“Celebrities have rebranded from scandal before – look at Robert Downey Jr and Mickey Rourke. But it requires laying yourself bare in a no-holds-barred mea culpa that confronts the public’s image of you. Smith needs to humble himself quickly and honestly if he wants any chance.”
Regardless, with the globally televised assault forever viral online, Smith‘s recognizable brand faces permanent taint. Meanwhile Jada Pinkett Smith is unrepentantly moving forward with additional memoir volumes set to publish throughout 2023. Each salacious new detail or accusation ensures another recirculating news cycle reexamining the slap.
For the exiled megastar, a potential return to anywhere close to past glories appears more unlikely by the day. Unwilling to distance himself from Jada’s exposure, Will Smith failed to take evasive action when it may have saved his career. Now one of Hollywood’s most powerful leading men faces reputation ruination and a symbolic studio blacklisting unprecedented in recent memory.
TheSPECIALnews – Film & Television.