Will Smith makes ‘direct reference’ to Oscars slap in ‘Bad Boys 4’?

Will Smith is seeking redemption for “Slapsgate” in an unexpected way.

In his new movie, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the 55-year-old actor get slapped four times by his co-star and on-screen police partner Martin Lawrence, and audiences reportedly connected the gag to Smith infamously slapping Oscars host Chris Rock in 2022 – an incident that arguably strained Smith’s reputation.

Several reviews had various takes on the seemingly meta joke, although all of them agreed that it was an attempt by Smith to redeem himself.

A review by Variety declared his attempt somewhat successful, calling the movie’s “direct reference” a “kind of pop exorcism.”

The review noted, “It’s ‘punishing’ Smith, making cruel fun of his transgression, and just maybe, in the process, allowing him to crawl out from under the image of it.”

But another review published by the Daily Beast called the scene a “tasteless nod to The Slap meant to rehab Smith’s image,” adding that the “late meta joke about Smith’s Oscar scandal proves a predictable bit of self-consciousness and does less to enliven the proceedings than merely fulfill expectations.”