Chris Rock makes bold Oscars claim about Will Smith during Netflix stand-up special

The scandal between Will Smith and Chris Rock became the most talked-about topic at the 2022 Oscars in March, overshadowing Smith's Best Actor award.

During the event, the comedian went on stage and made a joke about Will Smith's wife's shaved head, which was deemed inappropriate. Smith then walked onto the stage and slapped Rock's face, before returning to his seat in the audience.

Shortly after the drama, Will Smith apologized to his colleague on his personal page, while Chris Rock refused to accuse the actor of assaulting him. Smith acknowledged that his actions had caused harm to many people and expressed deep regret. The King Richard star was also banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years and withdrew from the Academy. According to Reuters, he will not be permitted to attend the 2023 ceremony, which is traditionally presented by the reigning Best Actor winner.

Chris Rock hits out at Will Smith's slap

One year after he was slapped on stage at the Academy Awards, Chris Rock takes another dig at Will Smith and his wife in a comedy special streamed live around the world. The show, titled Selective Outrage, was Netflix's first-ever livestream event on Saturday (4 March) as Rock finally addressed everything related to the Oscars drama.

In the final segment of the comedy program Selective Outrage, Chris Rock accused Smith of practicing 'selective outrage':

'Will Smith practices selective outrage. Everybody that really knows knows I had nothing to do with that s---. I didn't have any 'entanglements.'

And by 'entanglements', the comedian was referring to July 2020, when Will Smith's wife Jada, 51, opened up about having an 'entanglement' with singer August Alsina, who happened to be her son's friend.

Jada and Will Smith's infidelity drama

At the time, Jada explained that she and Will Smith were not on speaking terms and needed space to revamp their relationship, reports Fox News. The actress confirmed this during a conversation with Will on Red Table Talk:

'I got into a different kind of ‘entanglement' with August. It was a relationship, absolutely.'

After reconciling with her husband, Jada also said she had not seen Alsina for many years.

Back at his show, Chris Rock claims that it was Jada who hurt Will Smith the most:

'Why the f--- would you do that s---? She hurt him way more than he hurt me. OK?'

The comedian added that after the 'entanglement' news went viral, he tried to offer Will Smith support but the actor never picked up:

'I tried to call the motherf----- and give him my condolences – he ain't pick up for me. Everybody called that man a b----…They called his wife a predator. Everybody called him a b----. Everybody! Everybody! And who's he hit? Me.'

A long history of teases

During the show, Rock said that it was Jada who stirred tension between the three of them. Years earlier in 2016, the actress headlined a boycott of the Oscars Academy after her husband wasn't nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the film Concussion. Jada pointed out the fact that Will Smith and other Black actors were not nominated, thereby prompting the #OscarsSoWhite campaign.

Ironically, the 2016 ceremony was hosted by Chris Rock, who was also a black actor. Rock said that Jada attempted to force him to quit hosting the Oscars in 2016 because her husband didn’t get a Best Actor nomination.. However, he ignored her pleas and continued his role as the presenter.

And that's how things got complicated between Rock and the Smiths. The comedian explained:

'That’s how it is – she starts it, I finish it, OK? That's what the f*** happened. Nobody's picking on her. She started this s***.'

He joked:

'Jada got mad, Jada said she’s not coming… Isn’t she on a TV show? Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.'

Other topics in Chris Rock's Netflix special

According to the Independent, the comedy special was the first event streamed live on Netflix, which is testing the technology to expand into other real-time programming.

In 2016, Rock signed a $40 million-deal with the streaming giant to make two comedy specials. During the comedies, he addressed many trending topics such as Meghan Markle's drama with the Royal Family, the Kardashians, and his own Oscars slap drama.

Read more:

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