Oscars slap still haunting Will Smith: The actor’s comeback is stalling and he’s selling off properties to stay afloat
Will Smith is reportedly facing financial issues amid a Hollywood career that has slowed since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars.
Will Smith is reportedly struggling to keep up with his enormous living costs, amid a Hollywood career that has slowed in the wake of his infamous Academy Awards slap.
Little Hollywood action since ‘slapgate’
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star has barely featured on the big screen since he assaulted Oscars presenter Chris Rock on stage in 2022, after Rock made a joke about the alopecia suffered by Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
On the night of his Oscars slap, Smith won Best Actor for his performance in King Richard, a biopic on Richard Williams, the father and coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
In the three years since, however, Smith has shot and released just one movie, 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
The 56-year-old has also released the fifth studio album of his music career - Based on a True Story - but the record has reportedly endured slow sales.
“Spending an absolute fortune”
Now, Radar Online has quoted a source who claims Smith’s finances are at risk of “fall[ing] to pieces”, despite his reported $350 million net worth.
In recent times, Smith and Pinkett Smith have sought to lighten their property portfolio, selling a Baltimore home for an estimated $817,000, and listing another in Los Angeles for a reported $2 million.
However, Radar Online’s inside says this has not solved the money worries facing Smith, who allegedly foots the increased cost of the couple’s need for separate digs.
“They’re spending an absolute fortune maintaining the rest of their properties, and somewhere down the road it’s all going to fall to pieces,” the source said.
“As rich as Will is, it’s getting harder to keep up with the enormous bills - especially with them not living together.”
Smith and Pinkett Smith married in 1997, but began living “separate lives” in 2016, the latter told a 2023 interview on NBC’s Today Show.
“A stream of money pouring out”
“Things are still not resolved between them and it’s looking more and more that they’ll make a permanent split, but he’s still on the hook for all the expenses,” Radar Online’s insider said.
“Ever since Slapgate, it’s been a stream of money pouring out and very little coming in. Will’s not bringing in the kind of cash you’d expect to sustain the kind of lifestyle he and Jada enjoy.”
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