Will Smith Was Notably Absent From A Major Public Event

Hey, do you remember when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face on stage at the Oscars? Of course, you do. But it kind of looks as if the actor is hoping that the longer he stays out of sight, the more likely it is that people will stop thinking or talking about the shocking moment. Unfortunately for him, there are some events where his absence is almost as newsworthy as his appearance would be. 

After smacking Rock in the face, Smith basically released a bunch of apologies and then logged off. Meanwhile, he's been dropped from several movie and TV projects, decided to resign from the Academy, and was banned from attending any Oscars event for the next 10 years. But that doesn't mean he's banned from all red carpets and awards ceremonies. He is a professional actor, after all, so we assume he'll have to re-emerge at some point, right?

If Will Smith was going to come out of hiding for anything, we assume that it would be to help "Bel-Air," the gritty reboot of "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" — the sitcom that famously made Smith famous — which he is a producer on. But, according to TMZ, Smith was nowhere to be found at a recent For Your Consideration (FYC) event for the Peacock show, which is meant to promote it to potential Emmy voters. On second thought, if the event was supposed to increase "Bel-Air's" chances for an Emmy nom, maybe Smith's presence would do more harm than good.

So, where is the once-universally-beloved actor, if not helping generate Emmy buzz? His last known sighting, per Vanity Fair, was in India back in April, where he was seen waving to fans in Mumbai. Apparently Smith has been spending his time lately in meditation and self-reflection abroad. We have to say, we can think of worse ways to spend one's time after a slapping controversy.