The Academy Awards should have been a celebratory slam dunk for Will Smith and his squad. The Independence Day star was highly favored to win the Best Actor award before the event. But shortly before he took home the trophy, that fateful slap reshaped the whole narrative of the evening — and perhaps Will’s entire career.

Related: Oscars Host Wanda Sykes Condemns Will’s Actions Following The Slap!

The King Richard star was forced to make a much more apologetic speech than he would have otherwise, and skipped doing any press so that he wouldn’t have to comment on the incident. Afterwards, he and wife Jada Pinkett Smith met up with their children Jaden Smith, Willow Smith, and Trey Smith (whom Will shares with ex Sheree Zampino, who also joined them later) to party the night away, ignoring the pall that he’d cast over the night.

Since then, the Smiths have been sparing in their statements (besides the Fresh Prince himself, who released a full written apology). On Tuesday, Willow followed that trend by posting a cryptic quote to her Instagram Story that seemed to reference all the drama. It read:

“You know who’s going through a lot right now? Literally everyone. Just be kind.”

We mean… it’s kind of a quote for all seasons, but it’s not like she’s wrong or anything. We should definitely all be kinder. Chris should have been kinder, Will should have been kinder. Everyone online should be kinder.

Her brother spoke up right away, though it’s unclear what he meant. Jaden was a fairly cryptic in his immediate response to The Slap, although his message was definitely supportive. He wrote on Twitter:

“And That’s How We Do It”

And That’s How We Do It

— Jaden (@jaden) March 28, 2022

(Another tweet, in which he admitted his “Dad’s Speech Made Me Cry,” has since been deleted.)

Their momma also kept things short and sweet, if not also a bit vague, in her first statement since the incident. She posted a quote to her IG that read:

“This is a season for healing and I’m here for it.”

The quote might remind you of a very similar social media post from Jada (below):

There’s some healing that needs to happen…so I’m bringing myself to The Red Table.

— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) July 2, 2020

What followed that tweet was the infamous Red Table Talk episode in which Will and his wife discussed her “entanglement” with August Alsina…

Related: Inside Will & Jada’s ‘Serious Conversation’ & Rollercoaster Night After The Slap

Of course, we can’t be the only ones who thought The Slap might end up being brought to the Red Table as well. In fact, sources for Radar Online have suggested that the 53-year-old has turned down interviews with Good Morning America and The Today Show because the couple feels their Facebook Watch show is the “best platform for him to explain his side of things clearly.”

In the meantime, everyone and their mother has been voicing an opinion on the situation, and the Academy has promised “appropriate action” will be taken against Will for the moment of violence. We’re only a couple days out, but we think the consequences of The Slap will be felt for a long time to come.

[Image via Willow Smith/Instagram & CBS/YouTube]