As the Academy Awards draw closer, the most famous performance of Will Smith’s career is being reexamined. No, we’re not talking about his work on “Ali” and “King Richard,” we’re talking about “The Slap,” that iconic moment where Smith marched onstage, slapped Chris Rock, and won an Oscar for best actor minutes later.

After a year of penance and practically no media presence, Smith is back online and is poking fun at the moment on TikTok.

The video is a duet, featuring Smith’s reaction to another TikTok video. The video that Smith is reacting to shows a woman talking about how everyday objects have a consciousness, making them possible targets for your questions. “Did you know that you can pick any object, look at it and ask it what it thinks of you?” she says.

“So, for example, you can pick up a pen and ask it how it sees you and what it thinks of you, and you will get an answer in your mind from your intuition,” she says. Smith looks thoughtful and off to the side, as if contemplating something. Then he pulls his Oscar into the frame and looks straight at the camera.

©GettyImages

The TikTok has amassed millions of views and racked up thousands of comments, all of which are mostly positive, showing that time is capable of reassessing every type of scandal. Viewers appreciated the humor of the clip and called Smith’s video one of the biggest flex moments of the year.

Whether Smith was doing something bold or simply expected the public to react lightheartedly to his joke, it appears like the tides have turned, and like 2024 will be a new year for him. For the time being, he’s scheduled to start production on “Bad Boys 4,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” alongside Kevin Hart, and more.