Will Smithmade his first big return to an awards show stage at the2025 Grammys, after the shocking moment whentheMen in Blackactorslapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.
The 56-year-old made anemotional tributeto the lateQuincy Jones, a28-timeGrammy winner, yet Smith’s speech seemed to leave a bitter taste all over the internet.
“Not Will Smith being BANNED from the Oscars but at the#Grammysas a presenter,” another one added.
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Will Smith was picked to present Quincy Jones’ tribute at the Grammys, sparking heated debate, given his last appearance at an award show
Image credits:Recording Academy / GRAMMYs
Smith’s tribute to Jones revealed the remarkable impact he made in theBad Boysactor’s career.
“This past year, we lost one of the mostgroundbreakingand influential figures of our time, Quincy Jones, known to friends around the world simply as Q,” Smith started his speech.
“Q touched countless lives. I have to say, he changed mine, forever. You probably wouldn’t know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones,” he added.
Jones, who worked with legends like Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, passed away on the 3rd of November, 2024 at the age of 91.
Quincy Jones won 28 Grammys and was nominated 80 times, leaving an indelible mark on many people’s lives, including Smith’s
Image credits:Sonja Flemming/CBS
“Quincy Jones was a mentor, friend and father figure,” Smith shared, crediting the producer and artist for encouraging his acting career and giving him a “shot” at the age of 22 inThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
“He pointed me toward the greatest parts of myself. He defended me. He nurtured me. He encouraged me. He inspired me. He checked me when he needed to,” Smith wrote onInstagram.
“He let me use his wings until mine were strong enough to fly,” he added.
“We lost one of the most groundbreaking and influential figures of our time,” Smith said
Image credits:Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection
The actor and rapper wasn’t nominated this year but he has received eightGrammynominations and four wins throughout his career.
And yettheMen in Blackactor’sreturn to the stage after slapping the presenter Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars telecast made huge waves on the internet.
“Not Will Smith yapping like he’s some Good Samaritan and not an unstable, abusive a-hole. If a woman had behaved like him she’d be banished,” another commentator noted.
“This Quincy Jones Tribute is painful!#GRAMMYshave to do better. Show the actual awards. No one cares about Will Smith,” the other one wrote.
Though Smith is no stranger to presenting, netizens weren’t happy about the actor’s return, especially after he seemingly laughed at kids’ schools burning down
— Just a stranger making the most of the dark (@naijance)February 3, 2025
“Why would you be laughing as you introduced children whose school has burned down?” one of the commentators asked.
“We already knew.. But Will Smith is a horrible human being,” another one added.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencesbanned Smith from all Academy eventsfor 10 years after heslapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards
Image credits:Myung Chun / Los Angeles Times
Image credits:THR/ Recording Academy / GRAMMYs
Even though later, the actor expressed his regrets on social media, he still had to face the consequences.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” Smith’s publication read back then.
“So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” it continued.
“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards,” it continued.
Watch Will Smith’s tribute to Quincy Jones below:
Will Smith opens up the tribute to Quincy Jones at the 2025#Grammyspic.twitter.com/dhVYWaM8pe
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR)February 3, 2025
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