The actor slapped the comedian after he made a joke about his wife at the Oscars.
Will Smith is getting by with a little help from his friends. A source tells ET that, after Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, the actor "is aware of the backlash that has surfaced, especially from the comedian community."
"Though Will’s actions have caused embarrassment for some of his friends and peers, his close friends are still privately texting him and trying to be there for him," the source says. "They believe there is a lot of anger in Will and his incident at the Oscars is just one way that it came out."
As for where Smith's loved ones believe he should go from here, the sources says, "They think he needs to take a break from acting, go to therapy, and sort out his issues."
When it comes to Jada Pinkett Smith, a different source tells ET that she is doing well despite the drama surrounding her husband and the Academy.
"Their family is working through it all," the source says. "They are a strong family unit, and they support Will 100 percent."
Smith slapped Rock after the comedian made a joke about Pinkett Smith's hair. Afterward, Rock declined to press charges. Later that night, Smith won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in King Richard. During his acceptance speech, he did not apologize to Rock, but instead offered apologies to his peers and the Academy.
The next day, however, Smith took to Instagram to speak out again, this time apologizing to Rock specifically, as well as others who were impacted by his actions.
In the wake of the incident, the Academy said that a formal review of the incident was underway, and noted that they have "initiated disciplinary proceedings ... which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct."
Shortly thereafter, Smith resigned from the Academy, calling his actions "shocking, painful, and inexcusable." David Rubin, President, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told ET he'd "received and accepted" Smith's resignation.
In regard to the privileges that Smith stands to lose as a result of his resignation from the Academy, an industry source previously told ET that, "on April 18th, the Board intends to discuss sanctions available to them in accordance with their bylaws."
As for Rock, he spoke about the situation for the first time during his stand-up show, telling the audience that he was "still processing" everything, adding, "I will talk about it, and it will be serious, and it will be funny, but not tonight."
During the second night of his comedy tour, Rock shut down an audience member who yelled, "F**k Will Smith." "Chris is not going to take the bait or engage with any hecklers," a source told ET at the time.
A source previously told ET that Rock has been "pensive" and that the events from the Oscars have been on his mind, but he didn't want them to distract from his performance.
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