Will Smith wins first major award since Oscars fallout

Actor Will Smith has won his first award since last year’s infamous Oscar slap. Smith took home the trophy for his role in “Emancipation” at the 54th annual NAACP Image Awards on days back.

Smith was not present to accept the honour in person. He also produced the historical drama, which was inspired by an 1863 photograph of a formerly enslaved man with scarring on his back that illustrated the brutality of slavery.

Smith’s win comes almost a year after the 2022 Oscars, where he slapped Chris Rock for making an insensitive joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

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Smith has been banned from all academy-sponsored events for the next decade. Other winners at Saturday’s award show include Quinta Brunson, Viola Davis, and Angela Bassett, who won Entertainer of the Year.