Will Smith Told David Letterman He Thought His Career Would be “Destroyed” Before the Oscar Slap

Will Smith on Netflix's 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.'

He might be keeping a low profile after the events of this year’s Oscars, but it appears Will Smith already foresaw himself getting into trouble a while before the event itself.

Sitting down with David Letterman for an episode of the latter’s Netflix talk series ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’, the actor made the usual pleasant chitchat and jokey banter with the comedian and host, but he also got candid about past struggles, including with alcohol and psychedelics.

“I drank, and it usually takes about 45 minutes to kick in. And I’m sitting there, and you always feel like, ‘Maybe it won’t kick in this time.’” Says Smith. “So, I’m drinking and sitting there, and then all of a sudden it’s like I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away, and my career is going away.” The actor continues, “My whole life is getting destroyed.”

His vision also featured daughter Willow calling for help. “Then slowly, I stopped caring about my money, I just wanted to get to Willow. I stopped caring about my house, I stopped caring about my career,” Smith recalls. “This is my fear in real life, and I’m in there and I’m wanting to vomit and all of that, and I hear a voice saying: ‘This is what the f**k it is. This is what the f**k life is.’”

While no one is suggesting that Smith is psychic, it’s certainly an intriguing coincidence that he should talk about career damage some time before his incident a couple of months ago.

The slap, which will forever be seared into Hollywood – and particularly Oscar – history, happened at the Academy Awards on March 27th.

As comedian and presenter Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, her husband Will Smith marched on stage and slapped him.

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. Photo via Twitter.

“Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2’? Can’t wait to see it,” Rock said as part of a short monologue that had previously been drawing laughs in the room. Pinkett Smith, who has recently spoken about her experiences dealing with alopecia, rolled her eyes at the gag. Seeing his wife’s discomfort, Smith took to the stage, walked directly up to Rock, and struck him on the face. “Will Smith just smacked the [expletive] out of me,” Rock remarked as Smith returned to his seat. Once he was sat down again, Smith repeatedly shouted at Rock: “Leave my wife’s name out of your [expletive] mouth.”

Smith would be back on stage later that evening to collect his Best Actor Oscar for ‘King Richard’. But the fallout has continued to trundle on: Smith resigned from the Academy, which in turn imposed disciplinary action including a ban on him attending its events for the next decade. He will, however, keep his award.

To watch the full interview, head to Netflix.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo Credit: Al Seib / A.M.P.A.S.