Will Smith remains persona non grata in Oscars circles three years after his infamous “Slap Gate” saga, and he’s still dealing with the long-term aftermath and taking what work he can get overseas, a source exclusively tells In Touch.

“Will is facing reality at the moment, and even if he never speaks about ‘the slap’ again publicly, he’s dealing with the ongoing, long-tail consequences of it privately and adjusting his business accordingly,” the insider explains.

“He’s not an idiot and he knows he’ll never be able to just sweep this incident under the rug. It’s still following him everywhere. But he wants to continue to be a movie star, and he still has some of the best instincts in the business when it comes to scripts, projects, filmmakers and marketing,” the source continues.

Since Will’s Oscar-winning role in 2021’s King Richard, he’s only starred in two other feature films: 2022’s Emancipation and 2024’s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.

“The reality is, it’s going to be hard for him to make non-Bad Boys projects going forward, and he’s going to have to bring more than his legendary charisma to the table to get films greenlit, especially at the budget level he would prefer. Plus, he’s really down to his last franchise with Bad Boys and he’s going to have to keep making more of those movies too, which isn’t a walk in the park when you’re over 50,” the source says.

Will, 56, has two movie sequels in the pipeline. He has a sequel to 2007’s I Am Legend in preproduction, while Hancock 2 shares the same status. The original superhero film came out in 2008. Will also has a remake of the 1987 comedy Planes, Trains & Automobiles in preproduction with Kevin Hart attached to costar and Aeysha Carr set to write and direct.

However, Will’s IMDb.com page has no current acting projects listed that he is actively working on or in postproduction, with all of his films still in preproduction territory. He served as an executive producer on Netflix’s Cobra Kai, which ended its six-season run in February.

“That’s why you have Will showing up in somewhat controversial territories like Saudi Arabia — these aren’t relaxing vacations, he’s going where the money is because he wants to keep making blockbusters,” the source says about the Hitch star.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that there’s a black cloud hanging over him constantly and there are swaths of name talent that don’t want anything to do with him after what he did to Chris Rock. The only real path Will has is to keep betting on himself and his choices and hope that fans show up. They did for Bad Boys: Ride or Die but the real test of his enduring appeal, or lack thereof, comes when he doesn’t have that franchise to lean on. Like it or not, that day is coming soon,” the source warns.

Will received a 10-year ban from the Oscars after walking onstage and slapping presenter Chris Rock after he made a joke about wife Jada Pinkett Smith‘s shaved head during the 2022 Academy Awards’ live telecast. While he went on to win Best Actor later in the show, the ceremony was tainted by Will’s aggression towards Chris, 60.

“The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage,” Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson wrote in an April 8, 2022, letter obtained by People. The Academy’s board of governors voted to ban Will from all Oscar telecasts and Academy events until 2032.

“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision,” the actor responded in the statement to the outlet.