Will Smith’s 64 Million Follower Base Shrinks at Alarming Rate After Oscars Slap Controversy, Chris Rock Ends Up Gaining Millions

The 94th Academy awards held on March 27, 2022, was a controversial one. Will Smith and Chris Rock were at the center of what turned out to be a major highlight of the night and probably the entirety of the year, 2022. Chris Rock, the American comedian was on stage hosting the highly esteemed award ceremony. Chris Rock had made funny remarks at a few celebrities, seated in the front row. One of whom was his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

Although meant as a joke, the actor did not seem to have liked the remark by the comedian. The offended actor hence was enraged and what he did next became the talk of the town. Will Smith walked on stage mid-way through Chris’ performance and slapped him across his face.

The aftermath of the ‘Will Smith slap incident’.

Will Smith being offended at Chris Rock’s remark at his wife and the slap that followed, made it to the headlines. The incident became the source of innumerable memes, social media discussions, and newspaper/online articles. While the fans and critics were divided in opinions. With a few supporting Smith for his actions and the majority of the others, backing Chris Rock. From a neutral standpoint nevertheless, the aftermaths of the incident seem to be affecting Smith’s life and career more.

Will Smith is seemingly feeling the fallout of that viral action, as a number of his projects were canceled and a few put on hold. It has also resulted in the actor losing roughly 8k followers a day, as per reports. Meanwhile, Rock’s numbers are on the rise. Of course, it’s important to mention that he still has an insane amount of followers on Instagram. Chris Rock has 6 million, which is an impressive number but pales in comparison to the King Richard actor’s 64 million at the point of writing this story. Still, it’s been interesting to see how the two figures’ followings are going in opposite directions seemingly as a result of the slap.

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How are both the stars faring post the incident?

Will Smith has seemingly stepped away from the spotlight since the slap. While Chris Rock has been keeping busy on tour. While the viral incident isn’t part of the comedian’s stand-up set, he has been making a few references to it here and there. Smith, recently took a meditation retreat seemingly in hopes of finding silence and clarity over the ongoing situation.

While the actor’s numbers on Instagram are going down seemingly as a result of the slap, there might also be a simpler explanation for the downward trend. The fact that he hasn’t been active on the social media outlet since issuing his written apology for his actions at the Oscars. As seen in the past, numbers oftentimes go down when a celebrity isn’t as active on social media as people expect them to be. His next movie Emancipation is expected to arrive in theaters sometime this year. Fans would be hoping the movie to be the kickstart to Smith’s reemergence into the spotlight and success. 

Source: Instagram.

Also read: Will Smith Planning Triumphant Hollywood Comeback With Self-Produced ‘I Am Legend’ Sequel