Vivica A Fox Says Will Smith Deserves A Second Chance After Oscars Slap

Will Smith and Vivica A. Fox — Image Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Will Smith
'I Am Legend' Film Premiere, London, Britain - 19 Dec 2007 — Image Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Vivica A. Fox isn’t done weighing in on the infamous Will Smith Oscars slap — though the stunning actress has considerably softened her stance. When asked by HollywoodLife if she thought the Men In Black star would make “a comeback” following the scandal and Will’s public apology, she responded in the affirmative.

“Absolutely,” Vivica, who starred with Will in both Independence Day and Set It Off, told HL EXCLUSIVELY. “He’s Will Smith. Don’t y’all ever forget that. This man has grossed billions of dollars. He made a mistake. He deserves a second chance and I will be there to support him.” The Kill Bill star made the comments during an appearance at the Great Wolf Lodge’s The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure red carpet event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 23.

The comments came as quite a change of heart for the Independence Day actress, who previously criticized the King Richard star and called for more “accountability” after he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the March 27 Academy Awards. Days after Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith said on her show The Red Table Talk that she hoped the men would “talk it out” and “reconcile,” Vivica reacted with her own comments in June.

She spoke out via the Wendy Williams Show, where she was guest hosting. “When I saw this video last night, it made me cry,” Vivica said. “I’ll be very honest with you guys. We were all rooting for Will Smith that night. We wanted him to win. Will Smith that night, as far as I was concerned, was going to be crowned this generation’s Sidney Poitier, which is a huge honor.”

But the actress then expressed disappointment at the whole scenario. “I felt like to be a good partner, there was no accountability… Let’s not forget that Chris Rock was assaulted… for basically telling a joke that I really felt wasn’t that bad.” Furthermore, Vivica said she felt that Jada’s remarks following the dramatic onstage incident were “self-righteous. “I have love for the Smiths,” she said. “I know their children, I’ve watched them grow up…I just wish that we could have had a little bit more accountability and for it to not seem so self-righteous on Jada’s part. And that’s my feeling.”