During a recent live Netflix comedy special, Chris Rock discussed the infamous incident where Will Smith slapped him at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Last year during the Oscars, Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith’s shaved head while presenting at the Oscars, leading to Will Smith slapping him hard and yelling obscenities before returning to his seat. Shortly after the incident, Smith won an Oscar for best actor in King Richard but was later banned from the Oscars for ten years. Although Smith apologized to Rock, the comedian remained quiet about the incident the following year.
Despite being tired of the topic, Rock wanted to emphasize that the slap hurt, saying anyone who thinks words hurt has never been physically hit. “You know what people say, they say, ‘words hurt,’ Anybody that says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
“People are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts! I got Summertime ringing in my ears,” Rock said, referring to Smith’s 1991 single, “I took that hit like Pacquiao.”
Chris Rock believes Smith’s selective outrage and personal relationship struggles may have led to the slap. “Everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t have any entanglements.”
Rock covered various topics in his comedy special, including Meghan Markle, woke culture, and politics, but aimed not to offend anyone after the Smith altercation. “I am going to try to do the show without offending anyone,” Rock said in a nod to the Smith altercation. “Because you never know who might get triggered.”
Despite his pain, Rock chose not to fight back, citing his upbringing and his parents’ advice not to fight in front of white people. “I got parents! Because I was raised!, And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.”
via – BBC
