Will Smith returns to award shows

The Grammy awards held on February 2, 2025, welcomed Will Smith back to the award stage 3 years after the infamous Oscar slap.

Will Smith appeared at the Grammys with an emotional tribute to longtime friend Quincy Jones who passed away in November of 2024.

The 56-year-old rapper and celebrity honored the 28-time Grammy winner saying, “This past year, we lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our times: Quincy Jones. Known to friends around the world simply as Q.”

He added, “In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say, he changed mine forever. You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones. Quincy made so many music greats, across multiple genres, sound even greater, bringing the best out in legends.”

Quincy Jones paved the way for Smith into Hollywood by casting him in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air the long running sitcom on NBC.

The Aladdin actor and singer has 4 Grammy wins to his name and made a return to an award show 3 years after he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the Oscars in 2022 for making a joke about his wife Jada Smith's hair loss condition. This was followed by the Academy announcing that Smith would be banned from Oscar ceremonies for 10 years.