Will Smith Smacks Kiss Reporter at Premiere, Almost 'Sucker Punched Him' (VIDEO)
Will Smith smacked a reporter who kissed him one too many times on the red carpet of the "Men in Black 3" premiere in Germany Thursday. The actor didn't take the move lightly, saying that he nearly "sucker punched" the man.
Will Smith and the reporter kissed several times on the cheek on the red carpet as the actor made his rounds. However, the prankster, an unnamed Ukrainian reporter— usually tries to sneak in a kiss on the lips from various celebrities. The man tried to hold Smith in the hug for a bit too long, and the 43-year-old wasn't having it.
"What the hell is your problem buddy?" Smith says angrily, shoving the white-clad man backwards. The reporter, surprised, stared at Smith as he walked away.
The father of two then backhand smacked him, then continued moving down the carpet to greet other reporters and guests. In the background of the video, the crowd is heard cheering, possibly for another celebrity.
Possibly feeling self conscious, Smith explained his actions to his entourage and the cameras.
"Sorry! He tried to kiss me in my mouth!" said the actor. "This joker is lucky I didn't sucker punch him!"
"Sorry, I said that on camera," he added. "It's all good."
Some alleged that the incident was one of homophobia, although the possibility seems unlikely.
"Homophobia: not a good look on Will Smith," wrote BuzzFeed's Whitney Jefferson. "Methinks doth protest too much."
However, that's far from likely, as Smith just came out in support of same-sex marriage earlier this week.
"If anybody can find someone to love them and to help them through this difficult thing that we call life, I support that in any shape or form," stated the actor.
Despite the controversial stance, it may have helped his case that this incident was more of an issue of personal space than anything else.
Joining Smith for the premiere was Nicole Scherzinger, who is also in the film, and Micaela Schaefer, a German model who wore a skimpy dress of cassette tapes to the premiere.