Sooner or later, you knew that Chris Rock’s encounter with Will Smith at the Academy Awards was going to make it into the comedian’s official stand up routine. This is how most comedians process events in their lives. And while Rock would occasionally address what happened from the stage at some of his comedy shows in the wake of what we now refer to as The Slap, he also promised that he would fully address it in his own time. And that time might be now.
Chris Rock and Dave Chapelle are co-headlining a comedy tour through Europe that kicked off at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, and according to Deadline, the Grown Ups and Spiral star spoke about Will Smith’s actions at the Academy Awards, and how he felt following The Slap. Rock told the gathered crowd:
Did that shit hurt? Goddam right… the motherfucker hit me over a bullshit joke. The nicest joke I ever told.
That’s Chris Rock’s opinion, that the G.I. Jane joke he leveled at Jada Pinkett Smith from the stage at the Oscars was nice. Will Smith obviously didn’t agree with that assessment, which is why he walked up on stage and slapped Rock, defending his wife’s honor while also shouting from the audience to keep her name out of his mouth.
Like anyone who stands on a stage in front of an audience and tries to entertain them in a live setting, comedian Dave Chappelle voiced concern about the safety measures when talking about Smith’s actions. Chapelle noted:
That was some scary shit. … Was that Will Smith?
Dave Chappelle is getting deep, asking the audience to question whether they finally saw the real Will Smith in that moment. He apparently described Will Smith as someone who “did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years,” and wondered what Smith might be like moving forward.
Those keeping track of the saga know that Will Smith has since issued an apology video that may or may not have won some fans back over to his side. Also, he and Jada Pinkett Smith are starting to head out in public again, suggesting that their Hollywood exile might be at an end. We also know that Chris Rock will be able to “dine on this experience,” so to speak, for years if he so chooses to, because as long as he’s willing to speak about it in his act, curious patrons probably will keep coming around to hear what he has to say.
What we know for sure is that Chris Rock isn’t planning to host the Oscars any time soon, and Will Smith isn’t allowed back, so if you are looking out for either of them, you won’t find them at the Kodak.