In the time since Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Oscars stage, Smith has publicly apologized twice, while Rock has kept his comments on the matter limited to his standup comedy shows. At a show in Atlanta on July 29, Rock once against referenced the infamous slap and had some less-than-forgiving words about Smith's latest apology.
As reported by People, Rock's standup set came only hours after Smith shared his second public apology to Rock in a video in which he answered frequently asked questions about the situation. Read on to see what Rock had to say during his show, including how he feels that Smith is playing the victim.
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Smith infamously slapped Rock after a joke at the Oscars.
At the Academy Awards on March 27, Smith rushed the stage to slap Rock after the comedian made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Pinkett Smith has a shaved head as a result of her alopecia, which causes hair loss. Rock said that she looked like she was getting ready to film G.I. Jane 2.
After Rock told the joke, Smith walked up on stage and slapped him. Then, from his seat, he yelled, "Keep my wife's name out your [expletive] mouth!" Soon after, Smith was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor, and did not apologize to Rock in his speech.
The following day, Smith apologized to Rock publicly and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has also been banned from Academy events for 10 years.
Rock gave Smith a new nickname.
During his July 29 show at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Rock addressed the situation and said (via People), "Everybody is trying to be a [expletive] victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith … I went to work the next day, I got kids."
With "Suge Smith," Rock appears to be referring to former CEO of Death Row Records Suge Knight, who is currently imprisoned on a voluntary manslaughter conviction.
Rock added, "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face."
Smith had apologized hours earlier.
On the same day as Rock's standup show, Smith released a video in which he again apologized to Rock.
"I've reached out to Chris, and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk," Smith said in the video. "And when he is, he will reach out. So, I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Smith also apologized to Rock's family, specifically his brother, Tony Rock, with whom Smith had been close, and their mother.
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Rock had spoken about the slap at prior standup shows.
Rock has only talked about the slap publicly at his standup shows. Today reported that during a March 30 show in Boston, Rock said, "I don't have a bunch of [expletive] about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I'll talk about that [expletive]. And it will be serious and funny."
Then, on May 12, during a show in London, he said (via The Telegraph), "I'm OK, if anybody was wondering. Got most of my hearing back … Don't expect me to talk about the [expletive]. I'll talk about it at some point… on Netflix. Your tickets were expensive, but not that expensive."
As reported by Entertainment Tonight in June, a source said that the comedian is "not concerned with the Smiths at the moment. He's touring and he's preparing for a comedy special."
Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled UnderCelebrities • Entertainment • NewsRead This NextWhere Chris Rock & Will Smith Stand Now
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