Amid stalled projects and a handful of Hollywood heavyweights who’ve had negative things to say about Will Smith and the slap fiasco at this year’s Academy Awards, some may be wondering if the King Richard star can—or will—ever bounce back from this unsavory moment.
However, one such person who believes he can is none other than longtime The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who said as much during Monday’s episode.
“Some of Will Smith’s future projects are in question,” Goldberg explained according to Variety. “The question is does he have a path back? Yes, of course he does! He will be fine. He will be back. No worries.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin then pushed back on the disdain for some of Smith’s projects being stalled, citing the fact that people and corporations may have a hard time separating the art from the artists and may feel the need to say something in response to the action with their dollars.
To that, Goldberg responded: “This is the thing: your saying has already been said. Nobody won last night [in reference to the Grammys] for the thing they did a week ago or a month ago. That’s not how it works. This is for your work, your work was the best work. Now, people are saying, ‘Oh we want to take this away and take that away’ [in reference to talk of taking Smith’s Oscar back]: if they have done the work and its the best work—you can’t touch it. We don’t get these awards because we’re nice people, that’s not why they’re giving them to us.”
Now look, while I understand that there will and have to be consequences for Smith, I’m with Whoopi when it comes to the absurdity of people pushing for Smith to give his Oscar back. I also share in her sentiments that Smith can and should be able to bounce back from this moment. Like I said in a previous post, I’m not so judgmental or myopic enough to think that there aren’t things you can’t ever come back from—so long as proper actions, time, and grace are given.
However, I also really do hope that the Academy hurries up and dishes out their reprimands soon so that this saga can finally come to a close.