Will Smith will be back in the public eye when he sits down for an interview with David Letterman later this month.

The 53-year-old King Richard star will be making his most high-profile appearance since he slapped Chris Rock on stage on March 27 at the Academy Awards ceremony when he appears with Letterman on his Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on May 20.

However, fans hoping to hear the actor delve into the shocking moment will be disappointed, as Smith and Letterman, 75, taped their interview earlier in the year, prior the Oscars. 

In the spotlight again: Will Smith, 53, will appear on David Letterman’s Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction on May 20, marking his most high-profile appearance since his Oscars slap; seen at the Oscars on March 27 in Hollywood

Smith is among a stacked group of interviewees for Letterman, including Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kevin Durant.

The Gemini Man star appeared to have filmed his interview back in January, when he was spotted chatting with Letterman by Carney’s Hot Dogs in West Hollywood.

The two were surrounded by a large film crew, suggesting that it was part of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.

In the can: The Gemini Man star appeared to have filmed his interview back in January, when he was spotted chatting with Letterman by Carney’s Hot Dogs in West Hollywood

On set: The two were surrounded by a large film crew, suggesting that it was part of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction; seen in January in West Hollywood

Will Smith and David Letterman have a talk at Carney’s in LA

Letterman has previously released four seasons of his interview show, and past guests have included Kim Kardashian, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Chappelle, Kanye West and Barack Obama, among other A-listers. 

Season three of My Next Guest Needs No Introduction premiered in October 2020.

Like most Netflix shows, the entire season will be released all at once on May 20.

The series is executive produce by Tom Keaney and Mary Barclary for Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company, along with Lilly Burns, Tony Hernandez, Brooke Posch and John Skidmore for Jax Media; and Justin Wilkes and Michael Steed.

A-listers: Smith is among a stacked group of interviewees for Letterman, including Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Ryan Reynolds, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kevin Durant

Smith shocked viewers at home and audience members at the Academy Awards on March 27 when he marched on stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke referencing his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, which she shaved off due to bald spots from alopecia.

‘Will Smith just smacked the s*** out of me,’ Rock said after the attack, though video was cut off for more viewers in the US.

Although some viewers initially wondered if the slap had just been a gag, it became clear that it was a genuine display of fury after Smith repeatedly shouted, ‘Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!’ from his seat in the audience.

Will Smith SLAPS Chris Rock at the Oscars over joke about Jada

Shocking: Smith surprised viewers at home and audience members at the Academy Awards on March 27 when he marched on stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock

Smith, who recently traveled to India, went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor later in the ceremony for his role in King Richard. 

After the ceremony, Smith wrote that he had ‘betrayed the trust of the Academy’ in a statement and resigned from the organization, meaning he will no longer be able to vote for the Oscars.

He was subsequently banned from the ceremony and all other Academy events for 10 years, though he would still be eligible to be nominated and to win an award during the period.