Fake news: Will Smith is not dead

The popular actor Will Smith is not dead as reported by some social media outlets on Monday evening.  

The fake death reports all started with a tweet under a bot (fake or false) account, that the actor had died in Wyoming, United States. 

The tweet gathered some steam with many searching on Google on whether or not this was true. However, with a quick search of the Twitter account, under the handle – Daily reports of deaths in Wyoming, the claims can be easily debunked. The account makes numerous false death claims concerning celebrities even animation characters. 

The spike in Google search on this fake death report clearly shows there’s still much interest in Will Smith after the Oscar drama.

The year 2022 has been considered the pinnacle of his acting career as he received numerous accolades for his lead role in King Richard, including an Oscar. However, much of this was overshadowed after he lost his temper and slapped actor-comedian Chris Rock. 

The incident occurred on the Oscar stage moments before he would win Best Actor. Rock made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair loss, comparing it to Demi Moore in G.I. Jane.  

Jada suffers from alopecia, a hair loss condition. 

Smith apologised to the Academy Awards and Rock, however, it wasn’t enough as he was banned from attending the Oscars for the next ten years. The actor also removed himself as a member of the Academy and described his actions at the Oscars as “shocking, painful and inexcusable”.

However, during the duration of the ban, Smith can still be nominated and even win an Oscar award.

The Academy board found that Smith’s actions were “unacceptable” and exhibited “harmful behaviour.”

The last time Smith was seen in public was during a “spiritual” trip to India in April after the Oscar debacle. He also has taken a social media break, as his last post was his public apology on 29 March.

READ NEXT:  WATCH: Will Smith in India for ‘spiritual purposes’ after Oscar drama