Will Smith likely topped the list of polarizing celebrities by slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars and trending for it

Will Smith’s Slapgate Controversy Made the Largest Sound on This Year’s List of Polarizing Influencers

Will Smith and his slap made a sound around the world and kept echoing for the
rest of the year. He has been known for decades due to his acting skills and
sense of humor. In fact, the Oscars night belonged to him, as he received an
award for portraying Richard Williams in the movie King Richard.



But things took a wrong fall when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. This
happened in June, and despite his efforts, the topic refuses to die down. If
anything, angry fans have refused to let the topic die down and it has affected
his big-budget movie Emancipation as well. Perhaps, he was the biggest
polarizing influencers celebrity this year?


A LOOK BACK INTO HOW WILL SMITH BECAME A POLARIZING CELEBRITY OF 2022

Will Smith made a public apology to Chris Rock after slapping him at the Oscars.
But he made it to the list of BusinessInsider’s
[https://www.businessinsider.co.za/polarizing-influencers-andrew-tate-kanye-west-elon-musk-johnny-depp-youtubers-12]
list of polarizing influencers of 2022. While the Academy Awards are usually
celebrated for an actor’s achievements and amazing performances, this year’s
spotlight was stolen by Smith’s controversy. He quickly turned from an
inspirational celebrity to a polarizing influential figure for the year. Yes,
the actor disappeared from the limelight, hoping to move on from the incident.
Upon returning, his PR team ensured he made positive appearances thereafter.

> 💥👏🏿 And the award for BEST Will Smith slaps Chris Rock meme goes to… 🤣
> Animation by bruscopa. 🏆 💯 #streetfighter
> [https://twitter.com/hashtag/streetfighter?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]
> #chrisrock
> [https://twitter.com/hashtag/chrisrock?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]
> #willsmith
> [https://twitter.com/hashtag/willsmith?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw] #fgc
> [https://twitter.com/hashtag/fgc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]
> pic.twitter.com/1VbprMMuKg [https://t.co/1VbprMMuKg]
> 
> — 天 Fighters Generation (@Fighters_Gen) March 31, 2022
> [https://twitter.com/Fighters_Gen/status/1509574334561587202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]



As for celebrities, they were left in splits. While many slammed the actor,
there were few like Nicki Minaj and Tiffany Hadish who supported Smith for
standing up for his wife when Rock made fun of her bald head and pointed out how
she looked like G.I. Jane. But most others worried about how the actor was
normalizing violence, and that he thought he was untouchable.

ALSO READ: How Enormous Is the Damage Will Smith Caused to His Brand? What Are
the Hopes for Revival?
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-how-enormous-is-the-damage-will-smith-caused-to-his-brand-what-are-the-hopes-for-revival/]

On the less serious part, the slapgate incident became an absolute source of
meme content for people. From games to hilarious posts, the meme content has
been trending to no end. As for Chris Rock, he never publicly accepted the
apology made by Smith. But his live comedy show Selective Outrage
[https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-fans-celebrate-chris-rocks-return-in-selective-outrage-almost-a-year-after-will-smith-slapgate/]
is set to be held next year, a week before the Oscars.

What do you think? Do you believe Smith is a polarizing celebrity? Comment your
thoughts.

Neha Subhash

Comment

Will Smith’s Slapgate Controversy Made the Largest Sound on This Year’s List of Polarizing Influencers - Netflix Junkie

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Neha Ghag is a prime-time entertainment writer for Netflix Junkie, who has written nearly 1000 articles, immersing herself in pop culture. Writing was not her first choice, but she has now found solace in unraveling the fascinating stories of public figures' personal and professional lives. Neha is a fan of classic hip-hop and psycho thrillers, and she can talk endlessly about Kanye West. Her contribution to NJ's live coverage of big events such as Oscars 2023 has been invaluable. Neha firmly believes in the art of storytelling and aspires to become a renowned columnist. When she's not writing, she indulges in her love for travel and exploring new places.

https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-will-smiths-slapgate-controversy-made-the-largest-sound-on-this-years-list-of-polarizing-influencers-2

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<p>Will Smith and his slap made a sound around the world and kept echoing for the rest of the year. He has been known for decades due to his acting skills and sense of humor. In fact, the Oscars night belonged to him, as he received an award for portraying Richard Williams in the movie <em>King Richard.</em></p>
<div class="flex-video widescreen youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Watch the uncensored moment Will Smith smacks Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars, drops F-bomb" width="1170" height="658" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/myjEoDypUD8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<p>But things took a wrong fall when he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. This happened in June, and despite his efforts, the topic refuses to die down. If anything, angry fans have refused to let the topic die down and it has affected his big-budget movie <em>Emancipation</em> as well. Perhaps, he was the biggest polarizing influencers celebrity this year?</p>
<h2>A look back into how Will Smith became a polarizing celebrity of 2022</h2>
<p>Will Smith made a public apology to Chris Rock after slapping him at the Oscars. But he made it to the list of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.co.za/polarizing-influencers-andrew-tate-kanye-west-elon-musk-johnny-depp-youtubers-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BusinessInsider&#8217;s</a> list of polarizing influencers of 2022. <strong>While the Academy Awards are usually celebrated for an actor&#8217;s achievements and amazing performances, this year&#8217;s spotlight was stolen by Smith&#8217;s controversy.</strong> He quickly turned from an inspirational celebrity to a polarizing influential figure for the year. Yes, the actor disappeared from the limelight, hoping to move on from the incident. Upon returning, his PR team ensured he made positive appearances thereafter.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">💥👏🏿 And the award for BEST Will Smith slaps Chris Rock meme goes to&#8230; 🤣 Animation by bruscopa. 🏆 💯 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/streetfighter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#streetfighter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/chrisrock?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#chrisrock</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/willsmith?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#willsmith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/fgc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#fgc</a> <a href="https://t.co/1VbprMMuKg">pic.twitter.com/1VbprMMuKg</a></p>
<p>&mdash; 天 Fighters Generation (@Fighters_Gen) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fighters_Gen/status/1509574334561587202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 31, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As for celebrities, they were left in splits. While many slammed the actor, there were few like Nicki Minaj and Tiffany Hadish who supported Smith for standing up for his wife when Rock made fun of her bald head and pointed out how she looked like G.I. Jane. But most others worried about how the actor was normalizing violence, and that he thought he was untouchable.</p>
<p><strong>ALSO READ</strong>: <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-how-enormous-is-the-damage-will-smith-caused-to-his-brand-what-are-the-hopes-for-revival/">How Enormous Is the Damage Will Smith Caused to His Brand? What Are the Hopes for Revival?</a></p>
<p>On the less serious part, the slapgate incident became an absolute source of meme content for people. From games to hilarious posts, the meme content has been trending to no end. As for Chris Rock, he never publicly accepted the apology made by Smith. But his <a href="https://netflixjunkie.com/netflix-news-fans-celebrate-chris-rocks-return-in-selective-outrage-almost-a-year-after-will-smith-slapgate/">live comedy show <em>Selective Outrage</em></a> is set to be held next year, a week before the Oscars.</p>
<p>What do you think? Do you believe Smith is a polarizing celebrity? Comment your thoughts.</p>


How Enormous Is the Damage Will Smith Caused to His Brand? What Are the Hopes
for Revival?

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Will Smith’s Slapgate Controversy Made the Largest Sound on This Year’s List of Polarizing Influencers

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