Will Smith shocked fans with a surprise performance at Coachella on Sunday night, two years after he hit headlines for slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The actor joined J Balvin on stage to perform his hit song Men in Black, from the 1997 film of the same name.
Dressed in his character’s signature black suit and sunglasses, the pair rapped the song together surrounded by back up dancers dressed as aliens.
Galaxy defenders @JBALVIN #WillSmith 👽
Tune in to the 2024 livestream on @YouTube at https://t.co/j5uIbSOgaa pic.twitter.com/kLuXK90LY8
— Coachella (@coachella) April 15, 2024
Will was also seen holding up the device used in the movie to erase the memories of people who witness alien activities, and the memories of agents ready to retire.
The first movie in the franchise was released in 1997, and was followed by three sequels: 2002’s Men in Black II, 2012’s Men in Black 3 and 2019’s Men in Black: International.
A host of famous faces made surprise appearances at Coachella this weekend – including Billie Eilish, who joined Lana Del Rey; and Olivia Rodrigo, who appeared on stage with No Doubt.
Will’s appearance at Coachella comes amid reports he’s set to make a huge comeback to Hollywood, two years after his infamous Oscars slap.
The actor is preparing for the release of his new film, Bad Boys 4, in June – which will be supported by a huge press tour.
A source told The Sun: “This film is Will’s big comeback and his team are going all out to get him out there.”
“He will deal head on with the slap and how he has changed since then. It’s likely he will also speak about his marriage to Jada, after they secretly split up more than six years ago.
“The slap is still a bit of an elephant in the room and Will is going to tackle it head on. He is booked to appear on a number of big US TV shows.
“People love a redemption story and Will has done a lot of work on himself. He also has a huge fan base who want him back in the thick of the action.”
Chris Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary at the Oscars in March 2022 when he made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith – who suffers from alopecia.
Referring to Jada’s buzzcut, the comedian said, “Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” prompting the actress to roll her eyes.
After Chris made the joke, Will stormed onto the stage, slapped Chris across the face and warned him: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face at the #Oscars last night after he made a “GI Jane” joke about his wife Jada.
The comedian was referring to the actress’s bald hair, despite Jada previously revealing this was due to alopecia 😬 pic.twitter.com/H6HO1xMNGF
— Goss.ie (@goss_ie) March 28, 2022
The situation caused uproar at the time, and he was subsequently banned from attending the Oscars and all Academy events for 10 years after the incident.
The following year, Jada revealed that she and Will had quietly separately seven years ago in her memoir.
Despite being separated from Will since 2016, Jada said the pair have no plans to divorce.
The former couple, who share two children, tied the knot in 1997.
Months after the slap incident, Will publicly apologised to Chris Rock on his YouTube channel.
In the video, he said: “I reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk but when he is, he will reach out.”
“I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. my behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Will went on to apologise to Chris’ mother and his brother Tony Rock, and said he “wasn’t thinking about how many people got hurt in that moment.”
The actor also denied his wife Jada told him to “do something” after she rolled her eyes at Chris’ joke.
“Disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down, so it hurts psychologically and emotionally to know that I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me,” he explained.
“The work I’m trying to do is I am deeply remorseful, and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”
Will pointed out that he’s a “human” who “made a mistake”, but said he’s trying not think of himself as “a piece of s**t.”
“I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted to putting light and love and joy into the world,” he added
