After Childish Gambino mentioned Will Smith by name during his candid address at the BET Awards, Will Smith responded.
The Oscar winner posted a video of himself on Instagram during the ceremony, when he was seen laughing along with rapper Childish Gambino’s off-script monologue on awards shows.
Donald Glover made a jab at the Grammys and BET Awards by comparing his performance to that of Will Smith and Sam Smith while presenting the Album of the Year award.
“It’s absurd that I have more Grammys than Will Smith. However, I own the same number of BET Awards as Sam Smith,” he stated, making reference to the British musician who is white. “You guys, does that make sense? Sam Smith and I are tied for first place at the Black Entertainment Television Awards.
Then Gambino made a joke, saying, “Just let me know if I have to, like, do, Baby Boy or something.” I’ll have Jonathan Majors shave my head and put me in a headlock. I’ll carry it out!
Smith, who sang his brand-new gospel ballad “You Can Make It” during the awards ceremony, laughed heartily multiple times as he watched the part in a green room. Smith was obviously amused by the rapper’s remarks.
Childish Gambino has only received one BET Award; in 2019, “This is America” won Video of the Year. For his work in music, movies, and television, he has received seven nominations overall, including one for Best Actor in 2024. (He was defeated by Denzel Washington in that category.)
In addition, Sam Smith is the only recipient of a BET Award; he defeated Tinashe, Rae Sremmurd, Fetty Wap, Bobby Shmurda, and Dej Loaf to win Best New Artist in 2015.
As Donald Glover prepares to premiere his new film Bando Stone & The New World and its accompanying album, he will be aiming to add more awards to his trophy collection over the course of the next year.
The Atlanta star debuted the teaser for the movie last week in IMAX theaters. In the movie, he plays Bando Stone, a fictional pop artist who has to survive a post-apocalyptic world despite only being able to sing.
In the eerie yet humorous film, he must avoid a number of deadly obstacles on a tropical island, such as enormous, bloodthirsty monsters, vast electromagnetic traps, and other perhaps otherworldly powers.
Childish Gambino’s upcoming album, which will be his last release under his rap persona, will be released in tandem with the film, which is scheduled for release this summer.
After the release of Atavista, an enhanced version of his 2020 album 3.15.20 in May, this will be his second musical endeavor of 2024.
