Why you won't see Will Smith on the red carpet or on late night tv to promote ... trends now
Will Smith is refusing to take part in the publicity campaign for new movie Bad Boys: Ride or Die over fears he will be asked about the infamous 2022 Oscars slap and the state of his marriage with Jada Pinkett Smith, DailyMail.com has exclusively learned.
The actor, 55, hasn't given an interview since sitting down with Trevor Noah in November 2022 when he issued a mea culpa over the incident which saw him storm the stage and deliver a slap to Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett-Smith's alopecia.
Then, in October 2023, Pinkett-Smith released her memoir Worthy in which she revealed the couple have 'been separated in every way except legally' since 2016.
Smith responded with a brief emailed statement to the New York Times but hasn't commented further about the end of his marriage.
Now the actor has decided to avoid more tricky questions by operating a social media only approach to publicizing his latest movie.
DailyMail.com can reveal that Will Smith refuses to participate in any press for his upcoming film Bad Boys: Ride or Die to avoid being questioned about his personal life
Will Smith, 55, has not given an interview since November 2022 when he issued an apology over slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars stage
The actor's wife Jada Pinkett-Smith released a memoir in October 2023 where she revealed the couple have been 'separated in every way except legally'
Insiders told DailyMail.com that he doesn't want the controversies dragged back up and wants to get back to the popularity he enjoyed prior the slapping incident.
The source said: 'Will doesn't want to do any promo other than social media because he doesn't want to get into the slap or his marriage again.
'He's refusing to do any of the normal stuff he would do like interviews. He's not ashamed about what happened to his marriage but he just doesn't want to get into the dark stuff again.'
Sony Entertainment and Smith have been approached for comment by DailyMail.com.
A glance at Smith's social media accounts show that he is using them to promote the fourth movie in the Bad Boys franchise, last week posting a photo to Instagram showing him with co-star Martin Lawrence.
In the caption, he wrote: 'Happy Bday to my Ride or Die @martinlawrence! Me and Marty Mar are 'bout to get on a plane and run up on y'all for @badboys, BE READY!!'
Two weeks ago, he offered up photos of himself and Lawrence on set and posted again on April 11 to mark the release of the poster campaign for the summer blockbuster.
On March 28, he showed up for the official trailer launch and took to social media after filming wrapped on March 4 to share a video of himself eating plain spaghetti in his luxury Miami hotel room,
