Will Smith goes to church at the BET Awards for the first time since Chris Rock’s infamous slap at the Oscars
![Will Smith goes to church at the BET Awards for the first time since Chris Rock’s infamous slap at the Oscars Will Smith goes to church at the BET Awards for the first time since Chris Rock’s infamous slap at the Oscars](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/smith-performs-bet-awards-sunday-84774421.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024)
The Jiggy is back.
After the slap in the face that rocked the 2022 Academy Awards, Will Smith found his rap groove back at the BET Awards on Sunday night.
The 53-year-old Oscar and Grammy winner sang his new single “You Can Make It,” a gospel-inflected confession featuring Haitian-American singer Fridayy and the Sunday Service Choir, released Friday.
The performance was Smith’s first awards show appearance since he slapped comedian Chris Rock for making a joke at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“The darker the hell you have to endure/The brighter the heaven you can enjoy/The harder the fall, the higher you soar/God opens a window when the devil closes the door,” raps Smith, sounding more like the Fresh Preacher.
“Believe me, they tried to bleed Will Smith dry/In the rearview mirror, I see that adversity was a gift/To lift me higher, gifts require faith/So dry your eyes and then you’ll find the way,” he continues of the arrangement to take you to church.
With this, Smith continues the Oscar slapgate tour he has been on since “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” opened to box office glory on June 7 and re-established the actor as a box office star.
But now the MC of “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” wants to regain the musical credibility that earned DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince the first Grammy for best rap performance in 1989.
Smith wasn’t the only rap icon to take the stage at the 2024 BET Awards: Ms. Lauryn Hill celebrated the 25th anniversary of her Grammy win for Album of the Year for her 1998 classic “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
The show – hosted by Taraji P. Henson for the fourth time – also featured performances by Megan Thee Stallion, Ice Spice, Latto, Victoria Monét, Shaboozey, Tyla and Glorilla.