The verified Twitter account @willsmith does not belong to the actor Will Smith. Instead, the owner of the social media profile is a video game executive of the same name for independent studio Stray Bombay. The latter has received a firestorm of negative tweets directed at him for the former’s infamous slap at the 94th Academy Awards. The attack led Smith to resign from his Oscars position. Users mistakenly thought the gamer and actor were one and the same.
Will Smith, the actor, does not own an official Twitter account. So, any person on the social media site with the name is not who many might think it is. The gamer has dealt with mistaken identity before. When someone has the same first and last name of a famous person, users can go after the wrong profiles. Confusion has been so frequent that the latter’s website is called NotThatWillSmith.com. Additionally, his Twitter bio includes the words, “not that will smith.” The bio was not enough to prevent many users from negatively commenting on his page.
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Misinterpretations Reached a High Point After the Slap
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Misinterpretations reached a high point after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock when the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife at the Oscars. The joke referred to Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. She has a medical condition that causes parts of her hair to fall out. While Will Smith originally laughed at the joke, he eventually went up to the comedian and slapped him in the face, perhaps after realizing that Jada took offense to it. After walking back to his seat, Smith proceeded to yell at Rock to not mention his wife’s name anymore.
Several people debated whether the assault was justified. Multiple memes have been created to make light of the hit. While not condonable, the incident was considered by many to be the biggest highlight of the awards ceremony. After being barraged with negative comments, @willsmith made a post that read, “Real talk, I’m not the person you’re upset/happy with. I make podcasts and video games for a living. At the risk of making people p***ed off at me instead of that other guy, the world would be a better place if we stopped answering words with violence.”
Even after the gaming executive confirmed his identity, some Twitter users continued to confuse him with the actor. One person wrote, “Give back your Oscar CLOWN,” as a response to @willsmith’s flying-petunias GIF. The comment reflects a punishment many have hoped for the actor to receive. Some will probably never believe that the account does not belong to the actor.
Another user offered a defense of the gamer in a post that questioned, “Somehow, still this many people are not questioning why the other guy would have a picture of some bearded white dude as their avatar?” Some will know the truth that the video game podcaster is the real owner of the social media page.
Famed ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith did not defuse the situation when he tagged the Twitter profile. The sports commentator posted, “Didn’t know until just this moment about @jadapsmith having Alopecia. She’s wonderful and great. So is @willsmith — which we all know. They’re both phenomenal. But you do NOT do what Will did in that setting. Go backstage and handle that shit if you must. Horrible look!”
