Will Smith Reportedly Waiting Out Oscars Controversy In Dubai As Prince’s Guest

Actor Will Smith reportedly has flown out to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to wait out the scandal following his slapping of presenter Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards show. His UAE getaway still hasn’t been officially confirmed by any reps for the actor.

Smith has been relatively tight-lipped since the incident, besides releasing an apology on Instagram the day after the Oscars were broadcast and announcing last Friday he would be resigning from the Academy. Smith has traveled to Dubai frequently in the past, and it was claimed that he was flown out personally by the Crown Prince of Dubai himself, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also goes by Fazza.

“Sometimes you just show up places, and you don’t know why, but it just agrees with you. Dubai dreams the way I dream,” Smith told Esquire Middle East. The actor seemingly has developed a close relationship with Fazza over 15 years of visits to the country. Fazza’s children reportedly call the actor “Uncle Will,” and the actor even recorded much of his online documentary The Best Shape Of My Life, in Dubai and Fazza’s private gym specifically.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be reportedly meeting “this Friday, April 8 at 9:00 a.m. PT, rather than the previously scheduled April 18 meeting,” to vote on the official consequences of Smith’s slap. This change of date was reportedly in response to Smith’s resignation since they were considering suspending or expelling the actor from the Academy.