Fans Fed Up: Will Smith’s recent on-air antics have left fans questioning his music releases. Is his career in jeopardy?

Will Smith Faces New Setbacks as Career Struggles Continue After Infamous Oscars Slap

Will Smith, once one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, is facing yet another uphill battle as he attempts to revive his career in the lingering shadow of the notorious 2022 Oscars incident.

For four decades, Smith enjoyed a glittering career, collecting accolades in both film and music. But that legacy took a sharp turn at the 94th Academy Awards, when he stormed the stage and slapped host Chris Rock over a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Despite winning Best Actor that night for his role in “King Richard,” the triumph was eclipsed by controversy, and the doors that usually open for Oscar winners remained firmly shut.

His highly anticipated £28 million role in the slavery epic “Emancipation” failed to resonate at the box office, leaving his movie career in limbo. Turning to music, Smith announced a new album and tour, but the reception has been lukewarm at best. Fans have panned his latest singles as “cringeworthy,” and many were left scratching their heads at his choice of tour venues, which include Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall and Scarborough Open Air Theatre—far from the sold-out arenas of his heyday.

Smith’s recent single “Pretty Girls” was widely mocked upon release, failing to chart and drawing harsh criticism online. Social media users compared his performances to a “sad dad at karaoke,” with some cruelly suggesting he’s entered his “Elvis era.” His previous single, “First Love,” met a similar fate, sparking renewed scrutiny of his unconventional marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith. The couple, who wed in 1997, have reportedly lived separately since 2016, though they remain legally married—a detail that continues to fuel public fascination and confusion.

In “Pretty Girls,” Smith raps about his admiration for women in general, further distancing the song from any notion of a heartfelt tribute to his wife. Lyrics like “I like BBLs / That stand for ‘Bad b**ches link up’” have only added to the backlash.

The disappointment doesn’t end with music. According to IMDB, Smith currently has no acting projects in the pipeline. This downturn may not come as a complete shock to the actor himself, who previously revealed on David Letterman’s Netflix show that he once hallucinated losing his career and fortune during an ayahuasca trip—a vision he described as “the most hellish psychological experience of my life.”

Despite being banned from the Oscars until 2032, Smith has spoken about wanting to “rebuild something beautiful and powerful” from the wreckage, likening his journey to the Japanese art of kintsugi—repairing broken pottery with gold to create something stronger and more beautiful. In his new song “Beautiful Scars,” he raps candidly about his struggles: “I hate when I lose it, but I face the music / ‘Oh, why did he do it?’ See, I’m only human.”

For now, Will Smith is focusing on his first-ever tour in the UK and Europe, performing tracks from his upcoming album “Based On A True Story”—his first full-length release in two decades. The tour will see him visit venues across England, including Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre on August 24, Cardiff’s Bute Park on August 25, Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse on August 27, London’s Brixton Academy on August 28, and University of Wolverhampton’s The Halls on August 30.

Whether this tour will mark the beginning of a true comeback or another chapter in Smith’s turbulent post-Oscars saga remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the world will be watching.