Chris Rock Publicly Addressed The Oscars Slap In His Latest Stand-Up Show
His response was brief.
Chris Rock has spoken publicly for the first time since the infamous Oscars slap. While presenting an award during the Oscars telecast on March 27, Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Rock following the comedian’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will’s wife.
Will and Oscars attendees like Zoë Kravitz and Tiffany Haddish publicly responded to the incident in the days following the event. Comedians Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer, who co-hosted the Oscars alongside Regina Hall, also weighed in while Rock initially stayed silent.
On March 30, he addressed the infamous slap during the first of two stand-up shows in Boston. According to NBC News, Rock received two standing ovations before he began his set.
“How was your weekend?” he asked the sold-out crowd at Wilbur Theater, according to Variety. Rock then told the crowd his show would not revolve around the fight. “I don’t have a bunch of sh*t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend.” he said.
“I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that sh*t. And it will be serious and funny,” he continued, per Variety.
Rock’s comments came the same day the Academy released a statement saying they’re considering disciplinary actions toward Will. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy also claimed Will was asked to leave the Oscars following the slap but “refused” to do so.
Will, who won Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard Williams in King Richard, initially used his acceptance speech to apologize to the Academy for his actions but did not apologize to Rock. Smith did so on March 29 in an Instagram post where he directly spoke to Rock. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong,” he wrote.
Will also explained why he reacted so strongly to Rock’s joke about Jada’s shaved head. At the Oscars, Rock told Jada, who had previously shaved her head, he couldn’t wait to see her in a sequel to G.I. Jane. This was a reference to the 1997 film starring Demi Moore with a buzzcut.
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” he said, referencing Jada’s alopecia and subsequent battle with hair loss.
Rock reportedly did not directly address Will or the actor’s apology during his stand-up routine; However, CNN reported he declined to press charges.
