Will Smith Beats Chris Rock to Iconic Hometown Honor, Reigniting Backlash Following Oscars Fallout
Hollywood star Will Smith famously showed love to his hometown in the theme song of his show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
The love has since been returned enormously to the actor from “West Philadelphia born and raised” who was recently honored by Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city leaders with a street named after him.
Will Smith Way, which lies next to his old high school in the city, has been renamed from the 2000 block of North 59th Street. It’s located right by the actor’s former school, Overbrook High School.
“Philly, I love you. I am yours. You are mine,” Smith said during his speech at the ceremony, according to ABC News. “The name ‘The Fresh Prince’ was coined in that building. I added the ‘fresh’ because it was hip-hop slang.”
Smith, who received a 10-year ban from the Oscars ceremony as punishment for slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards presentation, also talked about how his beloved city taught him lessons about the hardships of life.
“When things get hard, you have to be willing to suffer to change the circumstances. Nobody gets an easy ride,” he continued. “And that was one of the things these streets of Philadelphia taught me, that there is nothing wrong with a hard day’s work.”
Caroline Bright, Smith’s mother, was also in attendance for her son’s special event. However, his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and his three children Trey Smith, 32, Jaden Smith, 26, and Willow Smith, 24, were not.
City officials dubbed Smith a “hometown superstar” and “proud son of Philadelphia,” whose “legacy will continue to inspire future generations of the city’s residents.”
But not everyone feels that way about Smith’s latest honorary moment.
Some fans reacting to the news reminisced on the controversial moment he got up out of his seat while Chris Rock was hosting the Oscars in 2022.
The comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife and her bald hairstyle which caused Smith to march on stage, slap Rock across the face and go back to his seat where he yelled for Rock to “keep my wife’s name out of your f-cking mouth!”
Due to Smith’s actions, people are confused at the idea of Smith being rewarded for his actions with a street name compared to Rock, who has yet to have a street named after him in his hometown in Brooklyn.
“This is how we reward bad behavior,” wrote one unforgiving fan in the comment section of a Facebook report about Smith’s honor.
Another said, “That’s a slap in the face.” A third said, “Slap Chris Rock and you get a street named after you.”
Months after the slap, Smith apologized to the public and Rock on video. Afterward, the “Top 5” star declined to host the Oscars in 2023, with Jimmy Kimmel handling duties that year and again in 2024. Conan O’Brien was the host of the 2025 ceremony.
Initially Rock did not accept the apology but he may have turned a page earlier this month. The “Saturday Night Live” star was stopped by E! News reporters on March 3 at Vanity Fair’s Oscars party while attending with his daughter — though skipped the annual awards show.
He gave an optimistic answer when asked about hosting the award show for a third time.
“You never know,” Rock said. “This is what I would say, the most miserable people on earth are people that can’t forgive. And not just people, you have to forgive yourself sometimes. So, hey, you never know.”
He later added, “I live in forgiveness. … True love starts at forgiveness.”
Smith recently opened up about the 10-year ban when asked by The Associated Press if he plans to appeal it. “I am looking to be the best human I can possibly be, and I’m gonna take what I get with that,” he stated on Monday, March 24.
It’s not clear why his children and wife were not at the event. Rumors have been lingering about Smith and Pinkett Smith having trouble in their marriage, even suggesting they were preparing for an expensive divorce.
But no official announcement has been made from either actor yet. The two got married in 1997 but have been separated since 2016. They have an estimated combined net worth of $400 million.
