The Oscar-winning actor on Friday posted a video of a young gorilla on Instagram, which shows a large gorilla poking and prodding. The young gorilla sheepishly approaches the older gorilla and pats him on the back before fleeing. The young gorilla does it one more time, and the adult gorilla runs after the younger one in desperation.
The video is overlayed with the text, “I’m trying to get back on social media.”
Smith’s followers approved, and they told him in the comments section. The famous dog whisperer, Cesar Milne, wrote, “Animal kingdom is with you.” A fan also welcomed the content but offered an advice. “Go back and close your comments until further notice #PeaceOfMind,” the comment read.
Another fan wrote, “We’ll welcome you back man! We missed you! Everyone goes through s**t. You’re human too, just like the rest of us! Will come back!”
Just three weeks after Will’s post he took to Instagram and broke his silence on the infamous incident, saying he was “repentant” after slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards ceremony earlier this year.
“It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said of that night. “I’ll tell you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
Before the controversy, Will was active on social media and regularly interacted with his fans.
Will and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith were photographed together for the first time last weekend after the infamous slap.
In the pictures, the couple is seen leaving Nobu in Malibu. Clad in a navy polo, pants and matching baseball cap, Will gives a peace sign to photographers as the couple exits the eatery, with Jada following them. Holding her husband’s shirt, Jada also kept it casual, wearing a black, long-sleeved jumpsuit with a flannel tied around the waist. She paired the look with hoop earrings and aviator sunglasses.
While Smith’s apology was heartfelt, a source told ET that Chris has no plans to speak with King Richard Starr. The source added that Will would love nothing more than Chris publicly accepting his apology, but the actor will have to wait on it.
“Chris has no plans to reach out to Will,” the source said. The source also conceded that the timing of the apology is more in Will’s best interest. “He needs the public’s forgiveness, not Chris’s.