Tyrese has shown love and appreciation for Will Smith after Eddie Murphy made a joke about the actor’s infamous slap on Chris Rock at the 2023 Golden Globes.
Murphy was this year’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and is named after its first recipient, director Cecil B. DeMille.
AD LOADING...
During the legendary comedian’s acceptance speech inside The Beverly Hilton, Murphy reflected on his 46 years in the business while thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as well as his family and friends.
But towards the end of the speech Murphy decided to lighten the mood by poking fun at Smith’s open-palmed smack on Rock at the 2022 Oscars while sharing advice for “new, up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room.”
AD LOADING...
“I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind. It’s a blueprint, and I’ve followed it my whole career,” he said.
“It’s very simple, just do these three things: pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your fucking mouth!”
While neither Rock nor the Smith’s have issued a response to Murphy’s dig, Tyrese took a moment to show some appreciation for the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star on Wednesday (January 11).
“I’m still team WILL SMITH there’s nobody on this earth that will ever influence me to ever have a change of heart towards the BIGGEST INFLUENCE in my life,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a few red carpet photos with Smith.
He went on to praise Smith’s latest movie, Emancipation, writing: “I’m just saying man…. Move on already I just watched EMANCIPATION for the 3rd time I just can’t believe how masterful this overall movie is.”
The Fast & Furious star continued his own prominent acting career into 2022, starring in the Marvel film Morbius as well as the action-thriller The System. However, Tyrese’s past year was also plagued with some misfortune, including a messy divorce from his wife Samantha Lee.
In September, Tyrese was handed a cease and desist order from Lee in relation to a pair of social media posts, and the 44-year-old aired his grievances with his ex-wife on Instagram Live.
AD LOADING...
“I was just sent a cease and desist letter from my ex-wife’s lawyer,” he said in between inhales of hookah. “Where do you get the balls? Do you know what it’s like to go two straight years and have everybody that loves you, including your attorney, tell you: don’t say nothing, don’t defend yourself, don’t clear your name, don’t speak on it — we’re gonna present it in court!
“She claims that I kicked her out of the house with my one-year-old baby, changed all the locks at the house and cut off the credit cards.”
Tyrese had previously claimed that Lee delivered “15 blatant lies under penalty of perjury” in a past Instagram post, and accused her of dragging out an “unexpected divorce” for the past two years.
AD LOADING...
At one point in the video, he asked: “If my life was my wife and my family, and I don’t have that anymore, what am I still here for?”
