Will Smith is hoping for a comeback with new music, tour: ‘An album won’t erase the slap,’ expert says

Three years after his infamous slap,” Will Smith is hoping all is forgiven.

The actor and rapper will drop his first album in 20 years, Based on a True Story, on March 28. Similar to a TV show, it will roll out in seasons, with the first one titled Rave in the Wasteland (R.I.T.W.), which he’s described as a journey of healing, fun and celebration.

The 14 tracks aren’t called songs. Instead, they’re “episodes” and are a mix of previously released singles (“Beautiful Scars,” “First Love”) and new tracks and include collaborations with DJ Jazzy Jeff, his son Jaden Smith, Teyana Taylor and others.

It's probably no accident that the overall vibe — the music (presented with a TV theme), the presence of Jazzy Jeff and the Philadelphia Phillies jacket he’s wearing on the album cover — is old-school Smith. After his Oscars meltdown in 2022, when he hit Chris Rock in front of 16.6 million viewers, it seems he’s leaning into nostalgia to take people back to a simpler time — his early roots in the entertainment industry, when he shot to stardom on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. That is, before he became a major box office star, his marriage was tabloid fodder (the “entanglement”) and the slap.

The rollout of Based on a True Story, which will include his first headlining tour in Europe, features many Fresh Prince references. Most notably, he’s remade several classic show moments with co-star Tatyana Ali, including a famous dance scene. The cast has stayed friendly and Alfonso Ribeiro remains one of his pals, but promoting a 2025 album with nods to 1995 is a deliberate strategy: Smith is trying to take us back in time.

That takes us to his use of social media, which he has leaned on heavily since the slap scandal to reconnect with fans and emphasize his playful side. In recent weeks, the 56-year-old, who has 78.8 million followers on TikTok and 69.6 million on Instagram, teamed up with content creators like Jordan Howlett and “Lethal Shooter” Chris Matthews and buzzy celebrities like recent Grammy winner Doechii and soccer star Christian Pulisic to create viral moments and perhaps expand his audience (they’re all much younger than Smith). He’s done less traditional press.

Think again if you think Smith is just improvising what he shares on social media — that he's just rolling around Hollywood with an iPhone and selfie stick. In fact, his social media campaign is highly orchestrated; a behind-the-scenes video Ali shared of the making of their 15-second video showed a room full of people participating in the shoot.

Hey, it’s better than having to talk about the slap over and over on the talk show circuit. But will it win back the fans that Smith — who was once a truly likable star and box office gold — may have alienated?

‘An album won’t erase the slap’

“The nostalgia campaign screams ‘I peaked decades ago,’” Eric Schiffer, a PR expert and chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Yahoo Entertainment. “Fresh Prince is iconic, but leaning on it now feels like Will saying, ‘Remember when I was likable?’”

Yes, Smith is allowed to move on professionally from the Oscars scandal. He’s accepted his punishment and (sort of) apologized. But what is he supposed to do — hide in his $42 million Calabasas, Calif., mansion and practice his signature laugh all day?

“If he wanted redemption, he should’ve dropped a sincere apology, not a playlist,” Schiffer said. “An album won’t erase the slap — it’s like trying to patch a trainwreck with Scotch tape.”

Schiffer thinks the public sees through “TikTok stunts,” saying, “Virality doesn’t equal redemption.” He thinks Smith is “acting like a TikTok dad who doesn’t know when to log off,” which comes off a bit “out-of-touch.”

That said, “Will’s goodwill isn’t gone,” said Schiffer. “It’s buried in deep earth under skepticism. Public grace is earned through sustained humility and effort.”

Schiffer thinks Smith “should focus on being a better person instead of tricking people into liking him again. He needs to focus on vulnerability — show growth and humanity beyond the slap. Engage in philanthropy that resonates with his values. Stay away from flashy PR stunts — they feel insincere.”

He suggests, “Stop trying so hard” and “avoid [using] nostalgia as a crutch.”

Based on a True Story, the trilogy

Smith told Billboard in January that he envisions Based on a True Story as three albums that will be released throughout 2025 — which shows he’s confident that people will buy his music.

The first, R.I.T.W., is “about the idea of learning to dance in your darkest moment” with tracks he “wrote directly after the Oscars.” Part two, tentatively titled The Gift of Madness, is expected in June and the final one is set for release at the end of the year.

He told Billboard that he’s starting his tour outside the U.S. as a way to get in shape. "My dream is to work my way into a stadium tour. I’ll probably do arenas this year and next year to see [if] can I build a big enough, exciting enough show to require a stadium run.”

It’s a big undertaking for someone who has never headlined a tour. He’s been honing his craft though, including doing performances in U.S. venues in recent months.

Smith may have laid low after the Oscars debacle, but he’s been inching back into the spotlight for some time. In February, he presented at the Grammy Awards and he performed at the BET Awards in June 2024. He’s also released two high-profile film projects — 2022’s Emancipation and 2024’s Bad Boys 2: Ride or Die, which was a huge box office success — and did press for both.

But the biggest way he’s kept connected with his fans has been through social media — and it’s worked. He is one of TikTok’s most-followed stars (up over 4 million since January). We’ll soon see if those followers become streamers of this album.