Will Smith’s comeback has been turbulent to say the least, with the star desperate to restart his career after it was ground to a halt by his viral Oscars outburst.
And rather than booking a huge big-money venue to kickstart his UK resurgence, he kicked off the British leg of his tour in a more unlikely spot… Scarborough.
Ditching famous venues such as the O2 Arena or Wembley Stadium, the actor, 56, performed for a much smaller crowd at the city’s Open Air Theatre.
The sold-out show was an surprise spot to start his British leg of shows, with even some locals admitting it was ‘bonkers’ they could see Will perform on their doorstep.
However, one move to promote Will’s tour has sparked backlash on social media, with fans accusing him of using AI shots of fans cheering in the crowd in a YouTube video.
Since the actor jumped on stage at the 2022 Oscars and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face, his life and career has been on a downward spiral.
Will Smith chose an unlikely venue to kick off the UK leg of his comeback tour, shirking some of Britain’s biggest venues in favour of the seaside town of Scarborough
Since the actor jumped on stage at the 2022 Oscars and slapped comedian Chris Rock in the face (pictured), his life and career has been on a downward spiral
Ditching famous venues such as the O2 Arena or Wembley Stadium, the actor, 56, performed for a much smaller crowd at Scarborough’s Open Air Theatre
His recent on-stage antics have already made headlines, including an awkward on-stage smooch with singer India Martinez in Miami.
The star has also been in dire need of a hit, musical or otherwise, after his reported £28million role in slavery epic Emancipation failed to make an impact at the box office in 2022, leaving his movie career somewhat in the wilderness.
This has all come in the midst of Will’s ongoing marital woes with wife Jada following their separation in 2023, after she admitted to an affair with family friend August Alsina in 2020.
While some fans will still be keen to see Will on-stage, it remains to be seen whether this tour will be enough to propel him back to the Hollywood heights…
Performing in Scarborough
Will kicked off the British leg of his tour at the 8,000-capacity Open Air Theatre, with the star himself saying it was a ‘joyful’ night after a string of woes in recent years.
Bringing out his Best Actor Oscar, Will said: ‘This has been a beautiful night and I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
‘This [night] is particularly joyful for me as I’ve had some difficulties in the last couple of years.
‘I’ve spent my entire career trying to bring joy and fun and love. It’s been my deepest human devotion to bring a little bit of light and love into this world.’
Choosing Scarborough as his tour opener also offered a cheeky nod to the viral resurgence of one of Will’s biggest hits.
Will kicked off the British leg of his tour at the 8,000-capacity Open Air Theatre, with the star himself saying it was a ‘joyful’ night after a string of woes in recent years
The sold-out show was a surprise spot to start the actor’s British leg of shows, with even some locals admitting it was ‘bonkers’ they could see Will perform on their doorstep
Even some of the locals were surprised to see Will in the quaint seaside town, with one posting a clip of his show on TikTok
Choosing Scarborough also offered a cheeky nod to viral resurgence of one of Will’s biggest hits, after a BBC Radio presenter performed a Scarborough-themed cover of the star’s Miami
BBC Radio 2 presenter Ellie Brennan had previously performed a Scarborough-themed version of his track Miami, which became a huge hit on social media.
Even some of the locals were surprised to see Will in the quaint seaside town, with one posting a clip of his show on TikTok with the caption: ‘In the words of the Scottish lady next to me, how the f**k has Will Smith ended up in Scarborough?’
Regardless, many shared their excitement at seeing the American superstar Will in their hometown.
Aimee Lee told the BBC: ‘If Will Smith comes to your town you go and see him.
‘I think it’s bonkers. Until I see him I don’t think I’ll believe he’s here.’
Andrew, who travelled from Wigan for the show, added: ‘My sister lives in Scarborough. It just so happens that Will Smith is here. I can’t wait. I can’t believe he’s here. A Hollywood star coming to Scarborough is amazing.’
AI Crowds
Ahead of his first performance in the UK, Will released a video that appeared to show him on stage during one of his shows, with the caption: ‘My favourite part of tour is seeing you all up close. Thank you for seeing me too.’
Since its release two weeks ago, the video has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, with fans claiming it uses AI-generated footage.
Social media users have pointed out a number of bizarre visual errors in the clip, such as blurred faces, oddly shaped hands that appear to have six fingers, and a sign that reads ‘FR6SH CRINCE’.
One move to promote Will’s tour has sparked backlash on social media, with fans accusing him of using AI shots of fans cheering in the crowd in a YouTube video
Social media users have pointed out a number of bizarre visual errors in the clip, such as blurred faces
Another part of the clip shows a man’s knuckle seemingly blur along with his sign, which reads: ‘”You Can Make It” helped me survive cancer. THX Will’
Another part of the clip shows a man’s knuckle seemingly blur along with his sign, which reads: ‘”You Can Make It” helped me survive cancer. THX Will.’
The clip also features a woman who is seen holding onto a sign, but the headband of another woman behind her appears over her wrist.
‘Why is the crowd fake??’ one fan wrote in the comments. ‘Equal parts embarrassing as it is hilarious,’ another added.
‘Imagine being this rich and famous and having to use AI footage of crowds and bot comments on your video. Tragic, man. You used to be cool.’
‘LOL fake AI crowd,’ another fan wrote.
‘The crowd is ai lmfao.’
‘Ah yes “I love you FR6Sh Crince” def no [sic] ai, really thought better of you.’
‘So not only is this an abomination to look at because it’s low quality phone footage that’s been heavily AI upscaled, but there’s also in-between scenes that are clearly AI-generated.’
‘Holy AI… It’s not even a good AI render you instantly see that is fake…’
‘LOV U FR6SH CRINCE,’ another fan wrote, poking fun at a sign featured in the clip.
‘AI crowd, Embarrassing.’
‘There’s no way the creators didn’t see how obvious the AI was. Is it intentional to get the conversation going?’
‘Okay, this is really funny. Making a fake crowd of people with signs talking about how you saved their lives holy moly. Will knows he felled [sic] off and is having a crisis about it.’
Breaking down on stage
While Will has been displaying his famous charisma during his comeback tour, he sparked concern as he broke down in tears during the first show
The entertainer couldn’t hold back the tears during his emotional concert in Las Vegas, as he opened up about two major turning points in his life
While Will has been displaying his famous charisma during his comeback tour, he sparked concern as he broke down in tears during the first show.
The entertainer couldn’t hold back the tears during his emotional concert in Las Vegas, as he opened up about two major turning points in his life – the traumatic birth of his firstborn and the heartbreaking loss of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air co-star James Avery, according to witnesses.
Performing his 1997 track Just the Two of Us, he shared that the song was inspired by the ‘terrifying’ birth of his son Trey, now 32, whose mother is Will’s first wife, Sheree Zampino.
Later, he struggled to hold back tears as he honoured Avery, who played the beloved yet formidable Uncle Phil and passed away in 2013.
Controversial video
Back in February, Will garnered attention for an ‘inappropriate’ flirty display and an apparent kiss with India as they performed the song First Love at the Premio Lo Nuestro award show in Miami.
Will and India got steamy during their song as they embraced and even appeared to share a kiss. He also appeared to place a hand on her backside during their performance.
In further candid snaps taken backstage, India was seen jumping into Will’s arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.
The display left fans stunned and calling out the rapper for ‘inappropriate’ behaviour.
One fan wrote ‘This is the worst’ while a second typed: ‘Inappropriate, even if it is “entertainment”‘.
In February, Will raised eyebrows for an ‘inappropriate’ flirty display and an apparent kiss with singer India Martinez in Miami
Others wrote: ‘It’s like someone’s dad’s on the karaoke with a drunk local woman’ and ‘It’s how Will forgot where he was and went to put his arms around her.’
Others defended the star and said he deserved ‘unlimited hall passes’ following Jada’s affair with August Alsina.
Fans penned: ‘I know yall ain’t tripping when Jada has embarrassed this man publicly numerously times!! Come on’ and ‘idc his “wife” embarrassed him how many times.’
‘Let that man live he’s been put through enough, damn. TR’; ‘Good for Will! He deserves to live life to the fullest, Jada did him dirty.’
Jada’s affair
Jada admitted in 2020 that she’d had an affair with singer August Alsina.
Her marriage to Will previously came under blistering public scrutiny in 2020, when she interviewed him on her chat show Red Table Talk about an ‘entanglement’ she had four years earlier with Alsina, who is 21 years her junior.
Her split from Will happened in the same year that she had the affair with August.
News of Jada’s fling with August first emerged in 2020 – but she and Will initially denied the allegations, claiming they were ‘absolutely not true’.
In a bombshell interview with radio host Angela Yee on June 30 that year, August said that he had been romantically involved with Jada and that he had received Will’s blessing.
‘I actually sat down with Will and had a conversation due to the transformation from their marriage to life partnership. He gave me his blessing,’ he explained.
‘I totally gave myself to that relationship for years of my life, and I truly and really, really, deeply loved and have a ton of love for her. I devoted myself to it.
‘I gave my full self to it. So much so that I can die right now, and be okay knowing that I fully gave myself to somebody, some people never get that in this lifetime. It almost killed me. Not almost. It did – it pushed me into being another person. It broke me down.’
The following month, Jada sat down with Will to address the rumours regarding the status of their relationship – and decided to film the entire conversation on camera as part of her Facebook Watch series, Red Table Talk.
Jada confirmed that she was in an ‘entanglement’ with August – but insisted that she and Will were separated at the time.
‘We were over,’ she said to Will on the episode. ‘From there, as time went on, I got into a different kind of entanglement with August.’
However, the pair denied August’s claim that Will had given him permission to pursue the relationship with Jada.
Will’s wife Jada admitted in 2020 that she’d had an affair with singer August Alsina (pictured with Jada in 2017), leading to cracks in their marriage
‘One of the things I want to clear up that was kind of swirling in the press was you giving permission, [but] the only person who can give permission in that particular circumstance is myself,’ Jada said.
‘But what August was actually trying to communicate – because I could actually see how he would perceive it as permission because we were separated amicably – I think he also wanted to make it clear that he’s not a homewrecker, which he’s not.’
Jada confirmed that she and Will met August through their son Jaden and recalled the singer, who would have been 23 at the time, was ‘really sick’.
‘It all started with him just needing some help, me wanting to help his health, his mental state,’ she explained.
Following Jada’s confession Will admitted: ‘I was done with you’. Jada added that they decided to separate for a ‘period of time’.
‘And then what did you do, Jada?’ Will asked, as he urged his wife to keep talking.
‘As time went on, I got into a different type of entanglement with August,’ Jada explained.
When Will pushed Jada to clarify what she meant by ‘entanglement’ she responded: ‘It was a relationship, absolutely.’
She continued: ‘I was in a lot of pain, and I was very broken. In the process of that relationship I definitely realised that you can’t find happiness outside yourself.’
Marriage woes
It was recently reported that the I Am Legend actor and The Matrix Resurrections star, who have two kids, son Jaden, 26, and daughter Willow, 24, ‘are living their own lives but haven’t completely severed ties’, as per People.
‘Call it what you want,’ the source added. Meanwhile, another insider said the pair, who got married in 1997, are ‘still together’ but ‘have had separate homes for years’.
The pair have been working on their relationship after Jada disclosed in 2023 that they had been separated for seven years, beginning in 2016.
In 2023 it was reported that Jada has her own house nearby to Will in Calabasas.
Will is also said to be ‘a bit disillusioned with Hollywood’ at the moment, adding that it could ‘all change with some new success’.
‘We’ve been doing some really heavy-duty work together. We just got deep love for each other, and we are going to figure out what that looks like for us,’ Jada shared at the time.
The pair have been working on their relationship after Jada disclosed in 2023 that they had been separated for seven years, beginning in 2016 (pictured together in 2022)
The couple wed in 1997 (pictured together in 2003)
Jada previously shared that she will live with Will again one day to ‘take care of him’ because he’s ‘getting old’ in a 2023 interview with The Times.
While promoting her memoir Worthy on the Today show in 2023 she gave insight into her marital woes and told host Hoda Kotb that the marriage had left them ‘exhausted’.
‘I think by the time we got to 2016 we were just exhausted with trying,’ she said on the broadcast.
‘I think we were both kind of just still stuck in our fantasy of what we thought the other person should be,’ she said of what caused them to drift apart.
In Jada’s book, Worthy, she describes the separation as a ‘divorce’, but clarified they never filed any paperwork.
‘It was not a divorce on paper. But it was a divorce,’ Jada said.
Oscars slap
Jada later revealed how the pair found their way back to each other after Will infamously slapped comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars.
The confrontation took place after Chris made a joke about Jada’s shaved head, prompting Will to make his way to the stage, slap the presenter and say ‘keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth.’
‘That was a moment that I knew I would never leave Will’s side after all those years thinking I would,’ Jada told Extra.
‘I didn’t go in there as his wife, but I was leaving as his wife,’ she added.
‘You know, it’s funny how intense situations can amplify love, and it was a pretty difficult time, but it definitely drew us closer. So yeah, it’s crazy how things work.’
While speaking to the Daily Mail’s YOU Magazine, Jada said ‘many positive things came after’ Will slapped Chris.
‘After all those years trying to figure out if I would leave Will’s side, it took that slap for me to see I will never leave him. Who knows where our relationship would be if that hadn’t happened?’
Before Will’s reputation turned on its head, there was talk of him selling his production company for a billion dollars
After Jada spoke publicly about their marital estrangement, Will followed up with his own comments on the situation.
In an email published in The New York Times, he said her comments on their relationship were a wake-up call to him, adding that she was more ‘resilient, clever and compassionate’ than he’d realised.
The King Richard star told the paper: ‘When you’ve been with someone for more than half of your life, a sort of emotional blindness sets in.
‘And you can all too easily lose your sensitivity to their hidden nuances and subtle beauties.’
Before Will’s reputation took a hit, there was talk of him selling his production company for a billion dollars, according to The Sun.
In his ‘worst shape’ of his life
Will Smith underwent a strict weight loss journey after an image of him in the ‘worst shape’ of his life went viral on social media.
While filming Emancipation, he explained the role inspired him to lose some serious weight after he posted a photo of himself with a ‘dad bod’.
While filming Emancipation in 2022, he explained the role inspired him to lose some serious weight after he posted a photo of himself with a ‘dad bod’
The actor said that playing a character inspired by the former slave known as Whipped Peter ‘absolutely changed’ his life and inspired him to make a major lifestyle change.
Speaking on Red Table Talk in December 2022, he said: ‘You guys may remember I posted the out of shape — the ‘dad bod’ picture.
‘The ‘dad bod’ picture was my beginning of preparation to lose weight for Peter. I was probably 225-ish when I started and at the lowest, on the movie, I got to 195 [pounds].’
He previously shared that his time at home in the early days of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic led to more eating than usual. Coupled with a more sedentary lifestyle, it made him put on weight.
His Instagram photo, which was shared in May of 2021, showed him in a blue, white and black hoodie that was left unzipped to reveal his shirtless torso and fleshy stomach.
‘I’m gonna be real wit yall — I’m in the worst shape of my life,’ he wrote at the time.
Will described wanting to slim down for his own health and satisfaction, though it was also the correct choice to play a formerly enslaved man.
He explained how being thinner would help put audiences on the same page with his portrayal in Emancipation
‘For me, the physicality is a big part of what makes people go, ‘Woah!” he shared. ‘To be able to transition and manipulate your body as an actor is a big part of the suspension of disbelief for people.’
Smith went through the standard diet and exercise regimen to get into shape for his part, but he continued to shed pounds even after filming started due to the less-than-sanitary conditions.
‘Actually being out in the swamps … it’s hot, it’s nasty,’ he revealed. ‘You’re actually in the swamp, so your hands are dirty so you don’t really want to grab food and eat.’
Will turned the first stage of his weight loss and film preparation into the YouTube original series Best Shape Of My Life.
The episodes highlighted how out of shape he had gotten and featured his attempts to lose the weight, but they also delved into dark personal matters.
Film flops
Apple TV+ released Emancipation in late 2022, despite reportedly postponing the release date to 2023 in the wake of Slapgate.
The hit movie theaters in early December but reportedly only took $3,000 per screen at the box office, which isn’t necessarily the death knell for a film, but is still a blow given the $120,000,000 budget.
Many productions now have a brief run in cinemas and go on to become a hit on streaming services – such as Saltburn, which only gained traction when it appeared on Amazon Prime and this year’s Oscar contender Anora.
Apple TV+ released Emancipation in late 2022, despite reportedly postponing the release date to 2023 in the wake of Slapgate
The streamer announced Emancipation would be available for streaming on December 9 2022, just in time for awards season despite Smith’s 10-year ban from the Oscars.
While it did receive several nominations at the NAACP Image Awards 2023 and Smith took home the Best Actor prize, it was snubbed by all the other major awards including the Oscars and Golden Globes.
However, his woes began even before the Chris Rock Oscars slap, with his 2019 film Gemini Man dubbed one of the biggest flops in recent memory after costing Paramount Pictures a reported $110 million.
Smith broke records by being the only actor with eight films in a row that made more than $100 million at the US box office, and he was held in the same esteem as Tom Cruise as one of the last remaining ‘movie stars’ who don’t appear in TV series and attract audiences on the strength of their name alone.
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