Will Smith made his first in-person speech tonight at an awards ceremony since the 2022 Oscars incident with Chris Rock.

Smith accepted the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. His Emancipation costar Charmaine Bingwa and AAFCA cofounder Gil L. Robertson introduced Smith and Antoine Fuqua, the film’s director.

After a brief speech by Fuqua, Smith took the stage.

Smith said Emancipation meant so much to him, and thanked the people and companies that supported it being made.

Smith is working on the fourth version of his Bad Boys film franchise. He called it like being part of a family, and said he’s never made a fourth film in a series.

“It’s just like going back, and it’s a different vibe,” Smith said. “I’m so happy to be back with the same people.”

Source: https://deadline.com/2023/03/will-smith-makes-first-awards-speech-since-oscars-incident-1235276485/