After five months of silence, Chris Rock finally speaks out about Will Smith, the actor who infamously slapped Rock at the Oscars.
To say that 2022 proved to be an eventful year for the 94th Academy Awards is an understatement. It was not primarily because of the nominations and wins of actors and films in the prestigious awards show, but due to the infamous moment when actor Will Smith slapped the comedian Chris Rock over a joke about Jada-Pinkett Smith's bald head.
At the time, the veteran comedian was clearly taken aback by the situation and mostly refrained from responding strongly about the incident. Immediately after the slap, a stunned Rock said 'Will smith just smacked the sh** out of me.'
Throughout the past five months, Rock hasn't spoken much about the incident. That being said, his recent statements indicate that the friction toward Will Smith is increasing.
Addressing the elephant in the room
The Guardian reports that Chris Rock, during a comedy show that he was attending with the comedian Dave Chappelle, slammed the Oscar-winning actor, stating that he has been maintaining his image as 'a perfect man for 30 years' but he believes that the actor is 'just ugly as the rest of us.'
Chappelle responded to this by asking 'did that sh** hurt?' and Rock said 'goddam right … the motherf****r hit me over a bulls**t joke – the nicest joke I ever told.'
Additionally, the comedian referred to Will Smith's apology as a 'hostage video' indicating that Smith simply made the video to save face amid mounting criticisms rather than to make an apology out of genuine remorse.
This lack of remorse implied by Rock may have been established during Smith's speech after winning Best Actor for the film King Richard. In the speech, the actor apologized to the Academy and fellow actors, all except to Rock who was subjected to the humiliating incident, The Daily Mail reports. Smith further defended his actions by stating that 'love makes you do crazy things.'
Will Chris Rock host the Oscars again?
During a comedy show in Phoenix, Arizona, Rock mentioned that he was invited to host the 95th Oscars in 2023. According to LA Times, the comedian turned down the offer and made a comparison joke about how his return to the Oscars would be similar to the late Nicole Brown, wife of O.J. Simpson, going back to the restaurant where she was murdered. His attempt to highlight the displeasure of returning to the Oscars was not entirely appreciated by netizens, reports Mashable.
Over the past five months, the comedian has subtly addressed the incident at comedy events through small jokes interwoven into his performances. During a show in Los Angeles, fellow comedian Chappelle was attacked by an audience member, and once the situation was under control, Rock grabbed the microphone from Chappelle and asked 'was that Will Smith?' reports The Daily Mail.
Many have likely perceived Chris Rock's silence over the past five months as water under the bridge for the comedian, but now it is evident that Rock is not ready to let go of the situation. Moreover, Will Smith's perceived insincerity in his Oscar speech and apology video may have added fuel to the fire that may just end causing a wildfire between both celebrities.
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