A number of upcoming Will Smith projects have been put on hold in the wake of the the 94th Academy Awards during which the King Richard star both won an Oscar and slapped comedian Chris Rock in front of industry peers and millions of viewers.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith has had a Netflix film and a movie for Sony paused because of the scandal, despite his apology and his resignation from the Academy.
While the public admonished Smith's violent response in defense of his wife Jada Pinkett Smith after Rock made a joke about her alopecia caused baldness, The View conservative co-host Ana Navarro believes the studios are "making a mistake" by halting Smith's projects.
You can see her take here:
CAN WILL SMITH\u2019S CAREER RECOVER FROM SLAP? After the actor resigned from the academy and some of his future projects are reportedly in question following the #Oscars incident, #TheView co-hosts discuss his path forward. https://abcn.ws/3uSRqrt\u00a0pic.twitter.com/VQeIiud1JZ— The View (@The View) 1649089434
Navarro argued his positive reputation maintained for decades shouldn't be dismissed because of one egregious lapse in judgment.
“He’s had over 30 years of a career, where he’s had a very positive image, been a positive role model, he’s been very philanthropic, he’s done all sorts of things," said Navarro.
“None of us should be judged by our worst moment. We should be judged by our entire career."
"And yes, this is going to be with him the rest of his life. It’s going to be in his obituary. This is not going away. But should it define his life? Should it define his career? No, absolutely not."
The Republican political strategist added:
"So I think Netflix and all those are making a mistake, and I hope they reconsider because we should be able to separate his art from what he did.”
Social media users–many of whom agreed with Navarro–weighed in on the discussion.
.@ananavarro keeps gaining my respect and I'm shocked because she's a republican. Ana and @WhoopiGoldberg absolutely nailed it. You don't judge a person by one moment, you judge them by the totality of their actions. Will Smith had one moment in 30+ years of being exemplary.— Jonathan Harris (@Jonathan Harris) 1649090021
Yes he can recover because he has always been a good person. He is smart & always appears Caring & compassionate in his past life all he has to do is go on National TV with ChrisRock give him a big hug and apologize & I will forgive him & so will his fans. He must show the love— John Sandoval (@John Sandoval) 1649094733
I\u2019m gonna watch him too Anna. Sunny you should re-evaluate yourself. You have become the new Meagan. You are not perfect. I don\u2019t watch the view anymore because of you and Joy. I love Whoopi and Anna.— Pat Smith (@Pat Smith) 1649137940
1/5 Agreew/ @ananavarro. NONE of us should be defined by ONE horrible mistake after a long career! Will was wrong, BUT I UNDERSTAND. Chris has picked at Smith fam 4 YRS since 2016 & he\u2019s in biz & HAD 2 know abt her alopecia!— L D (@L D) 1649105040
ABSOLUTELY it can and will! It\u2019s not even a case of \u2018survive\u2019 as far as I\u2019m concerned! Will Smith is a great talent, and I support him 100%!pic.twitter.com/LYWdMRGRHd— Carolyn Timmerman (@Carolyn Timmerman) 1649089728
Some remained skeptical about Smith recovering from the scandal.
Physical abuse in front of a crowd causes trauma in some, whether you minimize that or not, who cares what you think? He may never make a come back because of that.— Missy.Maserati (@Missy.Maserati) 1649110087
@ananavarro The idea that one action should not define a person's life/career sounds good & even makes sense but unfortunately that is not always reality. There are thousands of people especially in the USA whose lives have been defined by an action less serious than Will's...— EA Steph (@EA Steph) 1649093039
Abso-fkn-lutely you take a pause and reconsider projects Smith is involved with. You do not simply proceed as if nothing happened. There need to be consequences and pauses are a valid example of such. He has to earn his way back.— Joe Shmoe (@Joe Shmoe) 1649124205
Yes, he is just going to have to ride this out. They are only putting his next movies on hold \u2026..let the dust settles. But he does need to take some time.— Tarnz (@Tarnz) 1649180383
Netflix put Smith's film, Fast and Loose, on the back burner in the wake of Slapgate.
The film's story is reportedly centered around a crime boss who loses his memory after an attack and gradually pieces together clues to realize he has led a double life as a wealthy kingpin and a broke CIA agent.
Netflix has not announced if they intend to move forward with another star.
Sony's Bad Boys 4–for which Smith received 40 pages of the script prior to the Oscars–is now paused, according to an inside source.
Apple TV+’s Emancipation starring Smith is in postproduction. However, Apple has not set a release date for the drama, even though it was planned for a 2022 debut.