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A video from the 1990s of Will Smith joking about alopecia has resurfaced online just hours after his infamous Oscars slap.
You know what they say: the internet never forgets.
Smith has attracted headlines all around the world this week after he hit Chris Rock in the face at the 94th Academy Awards.
The slap came after the comedian mocked Jada Pinkett-Smith's lack of hair, which she shaves short due to alopecia.
Rock said: "Jada, can't wait for G.I. Jane 2," which prompted laughs from Will until he saw Jada roll her eyes and look upset.
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Smith eventually stormed the stage and slapped the award presenter across the face in front of everyone and in the middle of the broadcast.
The joke clearly crossed a line for the Academy Award-winner, however, people have dug into the internet archives and found he's guilty of making a similar joke a few decades ago.
Funnily enough, the bit went down like a lead balloon back then too.
The footage of Smith comes from The Arsenio Hall Show in 1991, where the Fresh Prince of Bel Air star mocked John B. Williams, the bassist for the show’s house band.
“He’s got to wax his head every morning”, Smith said, pointing to Williams in the old clip.
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Some members of the audience could be heard laughing and clapping, while others were heard booing at the joke, which prompted Smith to shoot back.
"It’s a joke. Come on," he said.
Smith's words from over 30 years ago bear a startling resemblance to Chris Rock's defence of his ill-fated version of the joke at the 94th Academy Awards.
After The Slappening, a fairly shocked Rock said: "Will Smith just smacked the s**t out of me".
He added: "Wow, dude, it was a G.I. Jane joke?"
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Smith, however, was having precisely none of it, shouting back 'keep my wife's name out your f**king mouth'.
While Smith's 1991 version of the same joke didn't end in violence, the 2022 version certainly did, leading to the Academy itself to condemn his actions.
The Oscars also responded to the incident via Twitter, writing: "The Academy does not condone violence of any form.
"Tonight we are delighted to celebrate our 94th Academy Awards winners, who deserve this moment of recognition from their peers and movie lovers around the world."
A formal review is underway.
Topics: Will Smith, Oscars
Rachel Lang