Will Smith Wins First Major Award Since Oscars Slap at NAACP Image Awards

Hollywood star Will Smith won the NAACP Image Award for outstanding actor in a motion picture for his performance in the historical movie “Emancipation” on Saturday night.

This marks his first award win since his infamous incident at the 2022 Oscars in which he slapped Chris Rock onstage.

Smith was not present at the ceremony to accept his award in person.

However, the actor later acknowledged the win on social media, writing in an Instagram post: "WOW!! NAACP!! I am absolutely humbled by this!! I want to share this with my entire #Emancipation family – @antoinefuqua, @charmainebingwa, Ben, Bob, Jon the whole team at @westbrook and @appletvplus… I am so proud of the work we put into this film,"

"I would like to thank the NAACP for honoring our film! @derricknaacp – you and your entire organization – and the work you do all year round – is truly important, so to be recognized by y’all – it means a lot."

Set in 19th-century Louisiana, Smith portrays an enslaved man named Peter who journeys through the swamps of Louisiana to find freedom. He sprinted through marshes, fought off an alligator, and served in the Union army in hopes of eventually returning to his family.

“Emancipation” was inspired by the 1863 photos of 'Whipped Peter', taken during a Union Army medical examination, that first appeared in Harper’s Weekly.

One photo, known as ‘The Scourged Back’, showed Peter’s bare back mutilated by a whipping delivered by his enslavers, ultimately contributing to growing public opposition to slavery.

After initially delaying “Emancipation” following Smith’s Smith's actions at the 94th Oscars, Apple TV+ pivoted to positioning the historical drama as an awards season contender, releasing the film in October. 

Smith, who doubled as a producer on the movie, is set to accept a Beacon Award from the African-American Film Critics Association alongside director Antoine Fuqua on March 1 for their work on the movie. The movie also scored nominations in two categories at the Black Reel Awards.

Smith’s win comes almost a year after the contentious 2022 Oscars, where the actor slapped Rock after he made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith being in “G.I. Jane” because of her shaved head.

Pinkett Smith announced last year she shaved her head after struggling with alopecia.

After the slap, Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth. The ceremony continued with Smith remaining in attendance as he won the best actor Oscar for his performance in “King Richard”.

As a result of the altercation, Smith was banned from all Academy-sponsored events for the next decade.

Daniel Kaluuya (“Nope”), Jonathan Majors (“Devotion”), Joshua Boone (“A Jazzman’s Blues”) and Sterling K. Brown (“Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul”) were also competing in the actor in a motion picture category at the NAACP Image Awards.

A four-day virtual awards presentation led up to the February 25 ceremony held in person for the first time since February 2020. 

Queen Latifah hosted the 54th annual awards show, which crowned winners in this year’s motion picture and television categories, live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. 

Check out the full list of winners, here.