Oscars Producer Will Packer Reacts to Will Smith's Slap Apology: 'I'm Pulling For Him' (Exclusive)

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorJennifer Aniston has teamed with Web3 animation studio Invisible Universe to develop a character, Clydeo, inspired by her real-life dog, Clyde.The “Friends” and “Morning Show” star has also participated with a number of other industry boldface names in the $12 million Series A fundraising round for Invisible Universe. The capital campaign for the content banner headed by Tricia Biggio was led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, the private investment firm he co-founded with former Pixar and Reddit executive Katelin Holloway.Invisible Universe is already in business with tennis superstar Serena Williams, who is married to Ohanian.

Just a few hours shy of the deadline set in late July by hundreds of top female writers and showrunners on abortion safety protocols, most of Hollywood’s biggest studios and streamers today opted to side step specifics.

After Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Academy Awards in March, Oscars producer Will Packer said he’s "pulling" for the actor.  "I love the fact that he's being so transparent about his process," Packer said, according to Entertainment Tonight. "Clearly he is going through his own personal rehabilitation." Packer, 48, added that he’s "pulling" for the "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum.

walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock on national television, shortly before winning the Best Actor Oscar. And after Smith recently apologized for the slap, Oscars producer Will Packer has a message for the actor. Prior to the infamous slap, Will Smith was an A-lister who had been America’s sweetheart for decades.

Looking back at the beginning. Will Smith‘s ex-wife Sheree Zampino opened up about her biggest challenges with Jada Pinkett Smith in the early days of the Red Table Talk hosts’ relationship with her now-husband.

Moving in the right direction? Following the Oscars drama, producer Will Packer has been pleasantly surprised by how Will Smith has handled the aftermath of him slapping Chris Rock.

Lake Bell is fresh off vacation and onto the red carpet! ET's Lauren Zima spoke to Bell at the premiere of her coming-of-age drama, , where she dished on her new movie, and life at home with her kids after her recent trip to Europe, where she was seen with Chris Rock.The  actress told ET that the film, which sees four best friends on the brink of starting middle school out to make the best of their last weekend of summer, before their lives change forever, has notes of , but it also stands on its own.«I do think it has notes of, but I really I think there are thematics of anxiety and fear that kind of stem from what we've just come from, two and a half years ago,» Bell, who she shares children Ozgood, 5, and Nova, 7, with ex-husband Scott Campbell, explained. «This past kind of collective anxiety that we all have that is reminiscent in even the tones and kind of thematics of the film, so there's something really sweet about it, and generous and patient in spirit, and the way that it's shot.»She continued, «I mean, gosh, there's not many, sort of, independent films that I can take my children to and say, 'Okay, after we watch this, let's have a big conversation about some big themes.

Oscars producer Will Packer has responded to Will Smith‘s public apology for slapping Chris Rock at this year’s ceremony.Last month, Smith posted a video in which he directly apologised to Rock, describing his behaviour as “unacceptable”.READ MORE: The story of Slapgate: Will Smith and Chris Rock’s relationship through the yearsPacker, the producer behind the 2022 Academy Awards, has now commended Smith for the apology, telling Entertainment Tonight: “I love the fact that he’s being so transparent about his process. He is being very public and honest and open about his remorse.”“I think that he’s got three decades in this business of being somebody that is the exact opposite of who he was in those few seconds, and so I’m pulling for him,” he added.Smith shared the apology video on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, telling Rock: “I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” said Smith.

Gallery: ‘Do you have any other questions, that are smart?’: Celebrities who confronted their interviewers (BANG Showbiz)The 'Beast' producer declined to say if he'd spoken to either star since the incident, but insisted he wasn't taking sides. He said: "I would just say I love both of those brothers and I’m pulling for them. " Despite the attention the row received at the time, Packer is "very prideful" of what he and his team achieved with their delivery of this year's Oscars, which was hosted by Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Hall.

Lake Bell is fresh off vacation and onto the red carpet! ET's Lauren Zima spoke to Bell at the premiere of her coming-of-age drama, , where she dished on her new movie, and life at home with her kids after her recent trip to Europe, where she was seen with Chris Rock.The  actress told ET that the film, which sees four best friends on the brink of starting middle school out to make the best of their last weekend of summer, before their lives change forever, has notes of , but it also stands on its own.«I do think it has notes of, but I really I think there are thematics of anxiety and fear that kind of stem from what we've just come from, two and a half years ago,» Bell, who she shares children Ozgood, 5, and Nova, 7, with ex-husband Scott Campbell, explained. «This past kind of collective anxiety that we all have that is reminiscent in even the tones and kind of thematics of the film, so there's something really sweet about it, and generous and patient in spirit, and the way that it's shot.»She continued, «I mean, gosh, there's not many, sort of, independent films that I can take my children to and say, 'Okay, after we watch this, let's have a big conversation about some big themes.

Sheri Shepherd is looking to the legends of daytime TV for inspiration. Fresh off her move to New York City for the show's launch, Shepherd said she's hoping to incorporate Ellen Degeneres-style humor with Oprah-esque interviews when premiers on September 12 on Fox. «A little bit of Ellen,» Shepherd told ET's Rachel Smith. «A little bit of inspiration of Oprah, a lot of the laughter of Ellen and put that together, and then you got Sherri and I am like, let’s go!» In advance of her show's first season, Shepherd named Lizzo, Michelle Obama, and Michael B.

Jennette McCurdy's relationship with her  co-star, Ariana Grande, may be strained, she's still hoping the 29-year-old musician reads her memoir, . «I don’t know if she'll read the book or not,» McCurdy told ET's Rachel Smith, «but I think it’s a really entertaining read regardless of who you are, so I hope she does.»In the memoir, out Tuesday, McCurdy recalled feeling jealous of Grande as she missed work in pursuit of her burgeoning singing career.«The week where I was told Ariana would not be here at all, and that they would write around her absence this episode by having her character be locked in a box. Are you. Kidding me,» McCurdy wrote in her memoir.

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is developing Stronger (working title), a female empowerment bodybuilding drama series starring and executive produced by Insecure standout Yvonne Orji, sources tell Deadline. The project is created and written by Sheldon Turner (Up In the Air) and comes from A+E Studios where Turner and Jennifer Klein’s Vendetta Productions has a first-look deal.

A moment she’ll never forget. Sheree Zampino was as shocked as anyone when her ex-husband Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, but she has hope for a reconciliation between the two men.

Garth Brooks is celebrating the end of his three-year world tour with champagne and festivities!ET's Rachel Smith was exclusively with Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, at the epic afterparty following his final stop on the North American leg of his Garth Brooks Stadium Tour!Amid the revelry, Brooks spoke with Smith about the tour wrapping up and said that he truly doubts he'll be headlining a tour of this magnitude in the foreseeable future.«I don’t think we'll ever do a stadium tour again, ever. It’s just too much on the crew,» Brooks shared. «These guys haven’t been home in six months.»However, Brooks celebrated the fact that his road crew is «finally gonna get to go home and see their families.»That being said, Brooks admitted that retirement from live performing isn't in the cards, and when it comes to tours, «It’s never the last one.»Yearwood, meanwhile, shared that the champagne wrap party celebration was somewhat «bittersweet» by nature, «Because you enjoy every second along the way.»«The last show is always the special one.

Willow Smith is sharing her thoughts about the controversial incident that involved her dad Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars.The 21-year-old singer had reacted to the media attention just two days after the slap, writing on Instagram Stories “You know who’s going through a lot right now? Literally everyone,” adding “Just be kind.”Now Willow has revealed to Billboard that she sees her “whole family as being human” and she loves and accepts “them for all their humanness.”“Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest,” she explained.Will recently shared a 6-minute video of himself addressing the incident, apologizing to Chris, his mother, and his fellow nominees.“I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw and interview that Chris’s mother did and, you know, that was one of the things about the moment I just didn’t realize,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE: BMF star Russell Hornsby has signed with APA for representation in all areas. Hornsby is the second prominent client to follow longtime agent Andrew Rogers there, joining Regina Hall who also recently signed with APA. Veteran ICM Partners agent Rogers last month became the head of Global Talent at APA.

Willow Smith has addressed her father Will Smith‘s altercation at the Oscars earlier this year.Will infamously slapped presenter Chris Rock on stage during the ceremony in March after the latter made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.Speaking about the events, Willow said the intense media coverage of the slap didn’t “rock me as much as my own internal demons.”“I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness,” she told Billboard. “Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.”Late last month, Will posted a video about the altercation called ‘It’s Been A Minute…’, saying in the opening text: “Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work… You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer.”The actor then said in the video: “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.“I will say to you, Chris.

Will Smith unexpectedly walked on stage to slap Chris Rock after he made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, the couples eldest daughter, Willow Smith, has finally broken her silence.MORE: Willow Smith poses in scene-stealing cut-out bodysuit for latest musical announcementWillow was in attendance alongside her family on the contentious night, and celebrated her father's first ever Oscar win for King Richard afterwards at the iconic Vanity Fair after party.Though Jada, Will, and Chris have spoken out about the shocking altercation, neither the young singer nor her brother, Jaden Smith, had made remarks about the night until now.WATCH: Will makes public apologyMORE: Willow Smith gets honest about personal struggle in heartfelt message to fansSpeaking of her new album, Coping Mechanism, with Billboard, the star opened up about being raised in the spotlight, and for the first time, had a candid conversation about the shocking slap and its aftermath.She boldly stated: "[That didn't] rock me as much as my own internal demons," saying that it didn't interrupt her creative process when working on her new album around the same time.Willow explained: "Because of the position that we're in, our humanness sometimes isn't accepted, and we're expected to act in a way that isn't conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest." The Smith family were all together for the Oscars in MarchThe Smith family are no doubt a tight-knit bunch, and the 21-year-old affirmed that when she endearingly said: "I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness." MORE: Jada Pinkett Smith praises daughter Willow Smith after latest achievementMORE: Willow Smith divides fans with unfiltered new

Willow Smith has finally spoken up about her reaction to watching her fatherWill Smith slap comedian Chris Rock across the face at the94th Academy Awards.While the incident left the audience and viewers at home flabbergasted, the 21-year-old singerdid not let it change how she views her dad, 53, in any way.'I see my whole family as being human, and I love and accept them for all their humanness,' the Meet Me At Our Spot hitmaker explained to the outlet. Breaking her silence: Willow Smith has finally spoken up about her reaction to watching her father Will Smith slap Chris Rock across the face at the 94th Academy Awards; seen in March She continued: 'Because of the position that we’re in, our humanness sometimes isn’t accepted, and we’re expected to act in a way that isn’t conducive to a healthy human life and isn’t conducive to being honest.' While speaking about the assault, she said it didn't 'rock' her more than her 'own internal demons.'Her comments come after Will publicly apologized to Rock last month, on his social media channels, and revealed that his former pal still hasn't forgiven him.

All the love. Will Smith’s family is proud of him after he publicly apologized to Chris Rock. Sources reveal that they love him regardless and are enthusiastic that he took a step in the right direction.