Ricky Gervais has reacted to fans’ concerns that Will Smith might “slap him” after he made a brutal joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.
The After Life comedian, 63, was scrolling through social media when he came across a viral image of Will Smith’s son, Jaden, making a bold fashion statement at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
The 26-year-old rapper rocked a sleek black Louis Vuitton suit – but what really caught everyone’s attention was the $7,300 castle-shaped headpiece he wore on his head.
Designed by Abodi Transylvania, the headpiece was reportedly inspired by Transylvanian history and the vampire legends of the Bathory family.
Social media was instantly divided over the unusual look, with some praising the creativity and others calling it out as pure attention-seeking.
One X (formerly Twitter) user shared the photo, sarcastically captioning it: “And they say famous people are just attention seekers…”
Among the many reactions, Gervais swooped in with a savage comment referencing Jaden’s mother, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“Maybe he’s bald like his mum,” he quipped.
The joke was an obvious reference to the infamous 2022 Oscars slap when the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star stormed the stage and hit Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife’s shaved head – a result of her battle with alopecia.
As expected, Gervais’ comment sparked many reactions, with some warning the comic that he might have just earned himself a slap.
“You’re going to get a slap from big Will,” one user wrote in a now-removed post.
But Gervais, never one to back down from controversy, responded in the most Gervais way possible: “Can’t wait,” with a smiley face.
So far, Will Smith has not addressed Gervais’s joke.
Since the 2022 Oscars debacle, the Men in Black actor has largely kept a low profile, expressing regret over the slap and resigning from the Academy in the aftermath.
Initially, the audience thought the incident, which took place on March 27, 2022, at the 94th Academy Awards, might have been a skit until the 56-year-old shouted: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f**king mouth!” at Rock.
The backlash was swift. Smith publicly apologized, but the damage was done. He was effectively blacklisted from Hollywood, reportedly losing up to $1 billion in potential earnings as studios distanced themselves from him.
Smith returned to the award show scene for the first time since the controversial incident at the 2025 Grammys on Sunday (February 2).
