The Fresh Prince wants the world to love him again, writes Fiona Sturges. But he’s going about it the wrong way, with the most tortured career resurrection in recent times

  • notarobot@lemmy.zip
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    7 minutes ago

    I think I might be OOTL. Why does everyone here hate him? I know he slapped the comedian, but it didn’t seem SO unprovoked, and AFAIK its the only thing. It’s not great that he did that, but I wouldn’t hang him for that

  • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    he’s rich. he never has to worry about anything in his life. he doesn’t “need” a comeback.

    so he has to do is chill and enjoy life. and he’s still not happy???

    • Tattorack@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      He’s an actor. He needs an an audience. He wants to be remembered positively, hopefully for a very long time.

      • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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        25 minutes ago

        he can retire. i still think of MIB and Fresh prince when I hear his name.

        he already won. just don’t fuck it up by being greedy

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.ca
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    5 hours ago

    Why?

    The guys a multi millionaire … it doesn’t matter if he had a come back or not, he’s still a millionaire.

    You have to be a moron to want more than that.

    • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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      7 hours ago

      Back up! Back up!

      Mind ya business y’all. Just mind ya business.

  • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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    11 hours ago

    His career was on the wane before he acted like an asshole at the Oscars. I loved him as a kid and still love some of his movies, but he was the upstart smartass. That doesn’t work when you’re 50+ and he doesn’t have the range to be more than that.

    • QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works
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      9 hours ago

      He lost any semblance of cool with Pinkett’s affair and the slap. He is desperate to get it back but that’s not really going to be possible. Had he not slapped Rock he might have been able to lean into being a more sentimental figure at this stage but that too has passed.

      • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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        8 hours ago

        I don’t know. She didn’t really have any bearing on his decline before that point. I assume those that knew about their celebrity life and her affair did, but that wasn’t most people.

        It’s hard to know if the slap was out of character as we don’t know him. However it was out of character for his image. And image is your brand.

    • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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      9 hours ago

      He thinks he’s still 20 years old in Miami in the 90s. He has no appreciation for the fact that he has changed and rap has changed. No one wants to hear a creepy old man singing about offering jetskis to get with girls at a club.

      • hitmyspot@aussie.zone
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        8 hours ago

        I think when he was rapping, it was always a watered down pop, gentle version anyway. That was fine, because it was fun. Music doesn’t have to be meaningful. But as you say, there is no growth there.

        He’s tri d a few times to have growth in his acting, chasing the Oscar. However, his strength was the smart talking kid who thinks he knows better, but gets schooled by life only to learn a life lesson.

        Fresh prince, MIB. They were awesome.

        Ali, not so much.

  • aeronmelon@lemmy.world
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    12 hours ago

    He didn’t do anything wrong, at least not more so than you or me, he’s just not funny anymore. And his serious stuff was always very meh.

    He didn’t keep up with the times.

    • Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      He’s a scientologist that made a scientology propaganda movie together with his son. Doesn’t get more cringe than that.

          • humanoidchaos@lemmy.cif.su
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            9 hours ago

            Dang, that’s disappointing.

            I thought Will Smith was one of the better celebrities. I don’t keep up with this stuff, though.

        • superglue@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          7 hours ago

          I sometimes wonder if those celebrities are being paid though. I have no evidence of that, it just seems like something Scientology would do to try to gain traction.

          • Heydo@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            I mean, they purposely recruit Hollywood stars to help lend credence to their cult. They don’t treat them the same as the normies and just basically shower them with praise and adoration to make them think Scientology is awesome.

    • Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works
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      11 hours ago

      Didn’t he punch some guy in the face for making a joke? Pretty sure I’ve never done that…

      • Sigilos@ttrpg.network
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        11 hours ago

        I thought he slapped a man for making a joke? I can see why many folks would see little difference, I mean violence is violence, but if we’re talking degrees Id rather get doses of slap then punch. Still unacceptable in the situation, however, and I believe what ever issue Will had that night skills have been handled in private.

        All that being said, the man has aged and people move on.

        • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          Will Smith is 6’2" and played Muhammed Ali. I can think of a lot of people I’d rather have punch me than get slapped by Will Smith.

        • Eternal192@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 hours ago

          He slapped a friend for a cheating whore that humiliated him a few months later, she was the biggest mistake he ever made, she was basically a stone drowning him while he was gasping for air and for that he’s not just an asshole but a dumbass and there’s also his cult bs, he could have had the world if he wasn’t so stupid.

      • humanoidchaos@lemmy.cif.su
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        9 hours ago

        He slapped someone for making a joke about his wife. Both were kinda out of line, so it balances out.

        I don’t really take anyone clutching their pearls over this seriously. They need to grow some balls.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          8 hours ago

          Both were kinda out of line, so it balances out.

          No. It was a super tame joke, and Chris Rock was literally doing exactly what he was paid to do that night. In fact, he probably didn’t even write that joke

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        9 hours ago

        Chris rock.

        He made a joke about Jada’s Alocopeia (the hair condition thing, if I spelled that right.) and also some jokes about their open relationship.

        So, most of us can understand the impulse, I imagine. And most of us have enough sense not to make fun of medical conditions on a stage that large. To their face.

        • P00ptart@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          That doesn’t warrant getting on stage to slap a guy. And… As a guy, who slaps another guy? If you’re at the point of violence, who wouldn’t just throw a punch? Slapping another guy is embarrassing in and of itself.