Will Smith still not over infamous Oscar slap incident?

Will Smith might just have given a subtle nod to his infamous Oscars slap incident as his character Mike Lowrey is repeatedly slapped by Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett during a scene in Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

For the unversed, during the 94th Oscars on March 27, 2022, Will Smith walked onstage at the awards show and slapped Chris Rock in the face in front of millions.

During the action scene, Lowrey is in the middle of suffering a panic attack when his detective partner, Burnett slaps him several times, continuously, to knock him out of it.

Even though meant for comedic relief during the movie, it drew multiple reactions from the audience and critics, with many linking it to the Oscars incident.

An evident example is critic Own Gleiberman’s review for Variety where he described the scene as "direct reference" to the Oscars moment, deeming the scene as "a kind of pop exorcism."

He further wrote, "It’s 'punishing' Smith, making cruel fun of his transgression, and just maybe, in the process, allowing him to crawl out from under the image of it."

Will Smith has apologized for the Oscars incident, addressing his behaviour that day as “unacceptable.”