Asked in March 2025 whether he planned to appeal his Oscars ban, Will Smith did not announce an appeal. He said he was trying to become the best person he could be and would accept what came with that. His comments point to personal growth and creative work—not a stated plan to get the ban lifted.
Is Will Smith appealing the Oscars ban?
In an AP Archive interview filmed in Los Angeles on March 17, 2025, a reporter asked Smith whether he was looking to appeal or “just to ride everything out.” Smith replied: “I am looking to be the best human I can possibly be, and I’m going to take what I get with that.” The video was published on March 29, 2025. He did not announce an appeal in that exchange, but his answer does not establish that he has permanently ruled one out.
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Why was Will Smith banned from the Oscars?
At the 94th Academy Awards in March 2022, Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock onstage after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The Academy barred Smith from attending the Oscars for 10 years. The Associated Press described the ban as still in force in its March 2025 coverage; its status after that report is not established here.
How does Will Smith plan to move on from the Oscars ban?
Smith’s answer focused on how he wants to conduct himself, rather than on a procedural route back to the ceremony. In a separate Associated Press interview published March 24, 2025, he spoke about spending the previous couple of years examining himself and asking difficult questions. He described adversity as something he was learning from and said he wanted to understand himself more deeply and move beyond his limitations.
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Music as an outlet for self-examination
Smith said his album Based on a True Story grew out of that period of reflection. “It really is the result of my initial self-examination,” he told the AP. He described the songs as a way to explore or share something about himself. That makes the album part of his account of personal growth, not an announcement about appealing the Academy’s decision.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What has Will Smith said about the Oscars slap?
Smith addressed the incident in a 2022 interview with Trevor Noah, separate from his 2025 comments about the ban. As CBS News reported on November 29, 2022, Smith called the night horrific and said he had lost control. He acknowledged that his circumstances did not excuse his actions: “And not that that justifies my behavior at all.”
Smith also said he had learned that people should be kind to one another. He described what hurt him most as making his own hardship harder for other people, and spoke about forgiving himself while trying to contribute positively. Those remarks offer background on how he reflected on the incident; they should not be mistaken for a new statement on the ban.
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