Filmmaker Michael Bay has stated that he would "absolutely" work with Will Smith after the actor slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. According to Variety, Bay, who has directed Smith in two of his signature action movies, 'Bad Boys' and 'Bad Boys II', made the statement while speaking to Entertainment Weekly. "Absolutely, 100 per cent. He's a very even-keeled guy. Very even-keeled," Bay said when asked about working with Smith again. Bay further opened up a bit more about the slap. "At first, immediately I'm like, 'Did this just happen?'" he said.

Bay continued, "Then I saw the yell from Will. That's a real Will yell. Will is an amazing fighter. He's studied boxing. First of all, it's wrong to do, no matter what. Let's just get that out there. But when people said, 'Oh, he could have killed him.' No, a slap is different. A punch? Yeah, you can kill someone. Will gave him a slap." While presenting the best documentary feature award at the 2022 Oscars, Rock made a joke about Smith's wife Pinkett Smith's shaved head.