Will Smith makes his red carpet return alongside wife Jada Pinkett Smith and children after Oscars slap

Will Smith was joined by his wife Jada Pinkett Smith for their first red carpet appearance nine months on from his Oscars slap controversy.

The actor, 54, has kept a low profile since storming the stage during the 94th Academy Awards in March and attacking host Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife.

He was later banned from Academy events and programmes for 10 years over the incident and has publicly apologised twice for his actions.

Putting on a united front at the LA premiere for his new movie, Emancipation, Smith posed for photos with his wife and their children Jaden, 24, Willow, 22, and with his son Trey, 30, who he shares with his ex-wife Sheree Zampino.

The I Am Legend star looked smart in a maroon-coloured three-piece suit while 51-year-old Pinkett Smith donned a white voluminous waterfall-hemmed dress for the occasion.

Earlier this week, Smith spoke out about the “horrific” night he hit the Oscars comedian and said that he “just lost it” moments before he attacked Rock on stage.

Appearing on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he shared: “That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. You know, there’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know?

“And I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through, you know?

“In the audience right now, you are sitting next to strangers, and somebody’s mother died last week. Somebody’s child is sick. Somebody just lost their job. Somebody just found out their spouse cheated.”

Smith said that he was “going through something” the night of the incident, but insisted his reasoning doesn’t “justify” his actions.

"It’s like... there’s all these things, and they’re strangers, and you just don’t know what is going on with people,” he continued.

“And I was going through something that night. Not that that justifies my behaviour at all.”

His portrayal in Emancipation is already receiving Oscar buzz but, should he receive a nod, he will be unable to attend the ceremony.

The movie sees Smith play Peter, a slave who flees a plantation in Louisiana and embarks on a journey to reunite with his family. It is based on the 1863 true story of “Whipped Peter”.

Emancipation will be released on AppleTV+ on December 9.