Will Smith’s social media hiatus may be coming to an end.
On Friday, the actor made his first appearance on Instagram since posting an apology video to Chris Rock last month after he slapped the comedian onstage in March during the 2022 Oscars ceremony.
To signify his possible return to social media, the “King Richard” star shared a playful viral clip of a baby gorilla cautiously poking a bigger gorilla to get its attention. The silverback gorilla, who appeared to be unimpressed, chased the baby gorilla after his second attempt at getting the adult to play around.
“Me trying to get back on social,” Smith captioned the video shared with his more than 63 million Instagram followers.
Smith’s fans quickly voiced their support for the actor’s return, and by Sunday morning, the post had raked up more than 50,000 comments.
“We will welcome you back man! We’ve missed you! Everyone goes through shit. You’re human, just like the rest of us! COME BACK WILL!” one fan wrote.
Another commented, “We all make mistakes. C’mon back bro.”
“The world needs your presence not your perfection,” one user said.
National Geographic Wild’s famed dog whisperer Cesar Millan chimed in: “ANIMAL KINGDOM IS WITH YOU WILL.”
Before Friday’s post, Smith’s only other appearance on the social app since March (when he posted a written apology to Rock on the day after the Oscars) was an apology clip from last month.
In the clip, he answered some fan questions about the incident and said he had contacted Rock, who wasn’t ready to talk.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out,” he said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable.”
In the aftermath, the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” leading man resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was banned from its events for the next 10 years.
Just hours after Friday’s post about his possible return to social media, Smith shared a video of himself and his son Trey Smith in a hotel, where they encountered what appears to be a tarantula on the ground.