Will Smith jokes about return to social media with first non-apology post since Oscars

Actor made light of his struggle to win over the public after the incident

Will Smith has teased his return to social media after laying low for four months following the Oscars, when he made headlines for slapping Chris Rock on stage.

Smith struck presenter Chris Rock across the face at this year’s ceremony after the comedian made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s baldness.

Since the incident, Smith had only shared two Instagram posts – both apologising for his actions.

In his third post, made on Friday (19 August), Smith shared a short video of a young gorilla irritating a much larger gorilla by poking it multiple times in the backside. A message added to the video said: “Me trying to get back on social.”

Smith’s ex-wife, Sheree Zampino, responded with a heart emoji. This week, she also spoke about how she hopes Smith will receive “forgiveness” for the slap.

The Instagram post comes three weeks after Smith shared a YouTube video answering fan questions regarding the March fiasco, denying that his wife Pinkett Smith asked him to act on her behalf.

Elsewhere in the video, Smith touched upon the reason why he didn’t apologise to Rock soon after the incident while he was on stage receiving his first Best Actor Academy Award.

Read a full transcript of Will Smith’s video apology here.

Following the incident – which occurred just before he received the Best Actor Oscar for King Richard – Smith resigned from the Academy. He also received a 10-year ban from the organisation’s events.