Chris Rock Admits Will Smith Slap Hurt
The Will Smith slap at the Oscars continues to give Chris Rock fresh standup material. When Rock resumed his standup tour after the Oscars, he wasn’t ready to talk about Smith yet. Throughout the year, he included occasional jokes about the slap in various standup shows.
At a Phoenix, Arizona show on Aug. 28, Rock revealed how it felt the moment Smith’s hand made contact. The Arizona Republic reported on the show, which also included Rock’s reaction to being asked to host the 2023 Oscars, and star in a Super Bowl commercial playing off the Smith slap.
Chris Rock calls Will Smith slap an unfair fight
According to the Republic, fans pressured Rock to talk about the Smith slap. The Republic reports that Rock admitted the slap from the action hero hurt. There is an objective size disparity between the 6’2” Smith and 5’10” Rock, independent of their workouts.
“He’s bigger than me,” Rock said according to the Republic. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
This follows a July set in which, according to Us Weekly, Rock said, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.” Later in that show Rock asserted he’s not a victim and went back to work immediately after the slap.
Chris Rock doesn’t want to profit off the Will Smith slap
Rock added that he turned down Super Bowl commercial, though did not say which company had the bright idea to sell their wares off Rock’s pain. The Republic did not have direct quotes about Rock’s refusal of the ad, but described it as “profane.” Given Rock’s R-rated standup language, it’s not hard to imagine what he might say.
The 2023 Oscars will have a different host
Chris Rock first hosted the Oscars in 2005. They did not ask him back 2006, but he hosted again in 2016. The team behind the 2023 Oscars, including The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC, thought 2023 could be a good year to make Rock a triple threat.
However, Rock wasn’t interested in returning to the Oscar stage, as host or presenter. According to the Republic, he likened hosting the next Oscars to “asking Nicole Brown Simpson ‘to go back to the restaurant.’” Rock referred to O.J. Simpson’s murdered ex-wife. The night of her murder, Brown-Simpson left a pair of glasses at an Italian restaurant. Ron Goldman returned them to her at her home and was also stabbed to death.
Twitter users called out Rock for comparing his on stage assault with a murder. Actor Daniel Newman joked, “Nicole Brown Simpson’s GHOST just SLAPPED CHRIS ROCK.”
Decider paraphrased Smith himself writing, “Chris Rock should keep Jada and Nicole’s name out his mouth.
