In a new interview, the 'King Richard' star reveals that the former boxing champion called him 'every day' for ten days following his controversial behavior at the Academy Awards.
- Oct 29, 2022
AceShowbiz - Floyd Mayweather, Jr. called Will Smith "every day" for ten days after the Oscars controversy. The 45-year-old former boxing champion offered his support to Will after he hit comedian Chris Rock during the Oscars ceremony.
Will, 54, told TMZ Sports, "I want to say something also about Floyd. So, we've met each other, we've seen each other around, but we weren't, like, friends. And, the day after the Oscars, for ten days he called me every day. And, he was like, 'Ay, you know you the champ, right? You good? You know you the champ, right? I want you to hear my voice say it.' That was every day he called me … and it's like, that's my dude forever right there."
Earlier this year, Will blamed being "fogged out" and "fuzzy" for not saying sorry to Chris at the time. The Hollywood star resigned from the Academy in the wake of the row and was subsequently banned from the Oscars and all of the organization's events for the next decade. Will said, "I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk ... when he is, he will reach out. 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."
Will also apologized to Chris' mother and his entire family. The movie star, who won the Best Actor gong at the Oscars for his performance in "King Richard", said, "I just didn't realize how many people got hurt in that moment, so I want to apologize to Chris's mother. I want to apologize."
Oscars producer Will Packer subsequently praised Will for his public apology. He said, "I love the fact that he's being so transparent about his process. Clearly he is going through his own personal rehabilitation. I'm pulling for him. I'm pulling for him to continue his own process, but I think this is for him. He needs to do it."
