Chris Rock unloads on Will Smith a year after the famous slap
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • last year • 16 commentsBy: Dennis Romero and The Associated Press
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
By Dennis Romero and The Associated Press
A year after Will Smith slapped him on the Academy Awards stage, Chris Rock ended what has been mostly silence to unload on the actor as a coward who allegedly lashed out over his own marriage problems.
The 58-year-old comedian on Saturday night performed his first stand-up special since last year's Oscars,a week before the 2023 Academy Awards ceremony.
"Anybody who says that words hurt has never been punched in the face," Rock said at the opening the live Netflix special, "Chris Rock: Selective Outrage."
Rock spent most of the more than hour's time on-stage at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore speaking about anything but the altercation with Smith one year ago.
But the show peaked at its very end with an emotional but comedic analysis of the Oscars fracas that many have been waiting for.
"It still hurts," Rock said of the strike. "I got 'Summertime' ringing in my ears. But I'm not a victim, baby. You'll never see me on Oprah or Gayle [King] crying. It's never gonna happen."
During the special Saturday, Rock argued Smith may have been angry over marital issues and took the occasion to express frustration.
Smith charged the stage at last year's Oscars after Rock made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia areata, a medical condition that results in hair loss.
"Will Smith practices selective outrage," he said. "Everybody knows I had nothing to do with that. I didn't have any entanglements."
Pinkett Smith has said she had an "entanglement" with another man while the Smiths were separated.
Rock went on to say "everyone in the world" called Smith an expletive over his relationship problems, but Smith took it out on Rock — a physically smaller man.
"She hurt him way more than he hurt me," the comedian said.
The comedian also alleged Pinkett Smith had urged him to drop out of the ceremony last year because Smith was not nominated for his role in the 2022 film "Emancipation."
"I love Will Smith," Rock said. "I saw him open up for Run DMC. I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life."
"And now," he continued, "I watch 'Emancipation' just to see him get whooped."
Representatives for the Smiths did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Smith has apologized and repeatedly spoken about the incident since last March. He resigned his membership to the film academy in the aftermath of the slap, and the academy board of governors banned Smith from the Oscars and all other academy events for a decade.
But Rock has avoided all the usual platforms celebrities often go to air their feelings. On the road, he's often worked in jokes and reflections on the slap, though it's never been more than an element.
Rock first broke his public silence about the slap three nights after the Oscar ceremony, last year in Boston. "How was your weekend?" he asked the crowd. He added that he was "still kind of processing what happened."
"Selective Outrage" is Rock's second special for Netflix, following 2018's "Tamborine." They're part of a two-special $40 million deal Rock signed with the streamer in 2016.
While rivals have gotten into live streaming and sports, "Selective Outrage" marks Netflix's first foray into live programming. Netflix, with 231 million global subscribers, also recently signed on to stream next year's Screen Actors Guild Awards, signaling that "Selective Outrage" may be just the start of a new trend.
The Associated Press
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Time to move on, Chris. Worse things happen in life.
You said it much nicer than I would have.
I got to disagree with you guys. He has said almost nothing about it all year. I watched the show and I think the little that he said was spot on and right. I am just surprised that it took him so long, but then again, it would make for a good paycheck a year later...
When I was younger, I was an NCAA wrestler and an amateur boxer. I even had a personal Kung Fu instructor. That was before MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) was a thing. Believe it or not, delivering a power punch (or slap) is very scientific. There is even a cable show called "Slap Fight Championship".
That's right. A couple of guys exchange slaps usually until someone gets knocked the fuck out. And guess what - it's fucking dangerous!
The slapping will be done by the likes of Dawid “Zales” Zalewski, a super heavyweight who in October slapped former strongman Artur “Walus” Walczak so hard Walczak suffered a brain injury and later died at the age of 46, according to multiple published reports.
I know what you're thinking. Will Smith is just a fucking actor so he couldn't kill anyone with a slap. I suspect Smith also uses steroids and the slap "felt around the world" was fucking "roid rage."
I analyzed Will Smith slap technique. I think he was trying to knock Chris Rock out. It wasn't "just a slap."
I totally agree that the slap was serious. As Chris pointed out, he is not a big guy. On the other hand, Smith played Muhammad Alie, which means he's a big guy. Chris didn't deny that the slap hurt big time.
He went after a man's wife for a problem with her appearance that she both can't help and is sensitive about, in front of a huge audience. While the slap can't be excused, it was certainly an understandable reaction. He hit below the belt verbally, and got slapped physically.
Apparently, she started it over another movie a while back. If you can dish it out, you have to be able to take it. Also, he didn't know that she had a medical problem. Even if you feel Rock was out of line, no one should be physically assaulted over a joke.
I hadn't heard that. Yeah, as her husband once said, "Don't start nothin', won't be nothin."
And agreed, Smith's reaction was not appropriate.
Chris Rock should quit while he's ahead, so to speak. He has gotten a lot of good will and sympathy from this incident, dont keep picking at it.
Has it been a year already? I lost a lot of liking and respect for Will Smith at that point. Maybe he's just talking about it since it's been a year since it happened.
Plus it doesn't sound like he's said much about it until now.
Rock should have been able to process this, respond and move on A YEAR AGO !!
Chris is a comedian and last night he made my wife and I laugh - a lot. Course I had to use Google afterwards to get some of the references, like Doja Cat
I agree with Ricky Gervais that Will Smith proved himself to be a bully for physically attacking Chris Rock.
I don't watch award shows, but after watching some clips of Gervais' stand-up shows, I watched some clips of him roasting people and things that Hollywood deems to be a sacred part of their culture. Seeing the clips of the faces of some of his targets was interesting. There was surprise and outrage, but I doubt it ever crossed anyone's mind to rush the stage and assault Gervais... or if it did, the person had the ability to use logic instead of violence to deal with their emotional outrage.
I don't use twitter, but this turned up in my search results today. Ricky does have a way with words.
Smith was laughing his ass off at Rock's joke UNTIL he noticed Jade who was clearly upset so he had to act like his was pissed to keep her from jumping his ass after they got home. Smith went into acting mode when he attacked Rock, he wasn't the least bit pissed off, but he sure put on a good act fooling everyone.
I hope this is over now. Let bygones be bygones. Take it off the world's stage, ye successful performers.