Will Smith Traveled to India for Spiritual Purposes One Month After Oscars Slap

Will Smith said after the Oscars incident that “change takes time, and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason”.

Will Smith is on a journey inward, one month after he struck Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Oscars.

The 53-year-old actor was seen for the first time since the Academy Awards when he arrived at a private airport in Mumbai, India on Saturday.

Will was met with paparazzi who awaited his arrival, and he smiled for photos with a fan.

A source tells PEOPLE that the actor traveled to India for spiritual purposes, to practice yoga and meditation.

A day after the Oscars on March 27, Will apologized to Rock in a statement, saying that he “reacted emotionally” because the “joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear.”

(Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith has been open about living with hair loss due to alopecia.).

Will — who won Best Actor for King Richard at the ceremony — has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, which hosts the Oscars.

The Academy also banned the actor from attending its events for the next 10 years.

When he resigned from the Academy, Will said in a statement that his behavior was “shocking, painful and inexcusable.”.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage.

“The list of those I have hurt is long and includes Chris, his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.

I betrayed the trust of the Academy,” he said at the time.

“I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work.

I am heartbroken.

I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.”.

Will later concluded, “Change takes time, and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”.

Jada, 50, said in a statement last week that her family will eventually discuss the aftermath of the Oscars incident on her Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk.

“Considering all that has happened in the last few weeks, the Smith family has been focusing on deep healing.

Some of the discoveries around our healing will be shared at the table when the time calls,” read the statement.

“Until then…

the table will continue offering itself to powerful, inspiring and healing testimonies like that of our incredibly impressive first guest.

Thanks for joining us, Jada.”.