Will Smith Reveals How This Boxing Legend Truly Supported Him After The Oscars Slap

During a private screening of his new movie called Emancipation, Smith told the audience how Mayweather called him in the aftermath of the slap.

“I want to say something also about Floyd. We’ve met each other, we’ve seen each other around, but we weren’t like, friends,” Smith began. “And, the day after the Oscars, for 10 days he called me every day. And he was like, ‘Hey, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it. That was every day he called me, and it’s like, that’s my dude forever right there.”

After the slap, Rock shared his thoughts with a crowd at a standup show he did in New Jersey. He reiterated that, while the slap hurt, he ultimately was fine.

“I’m not a victim, motherf***er,” Rock is reported to have told the crowd. “Yeah, that sh*t hurt, motherf***er. … But I shook that sh*t off and went to work the next day.”

Rock continued to play off the incident. He joked about going to the hospital and said his injuries essentially amounted to nothing more than a paper cut.

Smith has apologized for the incident on two separate occasions. The first was in an Instagram post immediately following the Oscars. The second came in a YouTube video days later.

"Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk," Smith said in the video.

“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he continued. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

Despite the apologies, it doesn't seem as if Rock is ready to mend the bridge. Smith noted in his video that Rock was not ready to speak with him when he reached out.

Later, during a comedy tour with fellow comedian Dave Chappelle, Rock hinted that the apology from Smith wasn't genuine.

“F**k your hostage video,” he said. “Yes, that sh*t hurt. He played [Muhammad] Ali. I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.”