Will Smith’s status as one of the world’s biggest movie stars is likely to take a significant hit in the wake of his slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, Hollywood experts said, even if he continues to find work and appeal to his fans.
“I think he’s mortally wounded,” one top talent agent told TheWrap of the Smith fallout, calling the onstage assault and his subsequent speech in accepting the Best Actor Oscar an “almost unbelievable level of narcissism.”
A second talent agent agreed. “He just cost himself a premium,” the agent told TheWrap. “His brand is permanently tarnished.”
What went from a shocking TV moment-turned-meme has now become a full-blown crisis for the newly minted Oscar winner.