Why didn’t Will Smith perform at the 2023 Grammys?
Smith was reportedly set to take the stage as a surprise performer at the 65th annual Grammy Awards Sunday night (Feb. 5), but he never made it to the event.
Prior to the main show, Questlove revealed Smith’s planned performance while speaking on the red carpet. He claimed the “Wild Wild West” rapper was set to perform as part of the 50 years of hip-hop tribute, but had to bow out right before the telecast.
“I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 this week. There were a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will,” Questlove told Variety.
The Roots member shared that being able to secure Smith was a “shot in the dark” since he is “always shooting movies.”
Smith is currently filming Bad Boys 4, which was announced earlier this week.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Questlove added that Smith “was 99.4 percent” committed to appearing on the telecast, “but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 this week, so he couldn’t make rehearsals, but he wanted to do it.”
If Smith appeared, it would have marked his first major awards show appearance since he infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.