Chris Rock FINALLY breaks silence on Will Smith Oscars slap in Netflix special

March 2024 · 5 minute read

Chris Rock has opened up for the first time about the infamous Oscars slap he received from Will Smith, in workshopping material for his forthcoming live Netflix special.

In a January set in Charleston, South Carolina in preparation for his upcoming Netflix special Selective Outrage, The Wall Street Journal reported that Rock, 58, talked about the incident that dominated talk of the evening. 

He said, 'The thing people want to know . . . did it hurt? Hell yeah, it hurt;' Rock also referenced their respective roles in the 2001 Smith film Ali and his 1991 movie New Jack City: 'He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie!'

Rock added, according to The US Sun, 'Even in animated movies, I’m a zebra, he’s a f***ing shark.'

Rock referenced one of Smith's rap tracks, saying, 'I got hit so hard I heard Summertime ringing in my ears.'

The latest: Chris Rock, 58, has opened up for the first time about the infamous Oscars slap he received from Will Smith, 54. The two were seen March 27, 2022 at the ceremony in LA

The latest: Chris Rock, 58, has opened up for the first time about the infamous Oscars slap he received from Will Smith, 54. The two were seen March 27, 2022 at the ceremony in LA 

The special will air live on March 4 from Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre on the streaming service, a week ahead of this year's Academy Awards broadcast March 13.

The Oscars exchange between Smith and Rock took place after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, saying, 'Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it!' 

The reference was to the 1997 movie which featured Demi Moore with a shaved head. (Pinkett Smith, 51, has diagnosed with alopecia, which causes hair loss.)

The Philadelphia-born actor then walked onstage and smacked Rock, then returned to his seat and shouted at him twice, 'Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth!' to a stunned audience. 

Later in the evening - in his acceptance speech after winning the Best Actor Oscar for his role as tennis patriarch Richard Williams in King Richard - Smith apologized to the Academy and other nominees, but made no reference to Rock.

Smith subsequently apologized on multiple occasions over the incident, and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of being issued a 10-year ban from the Oscars.

In an apology he issued in July over the incident in an online clip, Smith said his spouse 'had nothing to do with' his attack on Rock.

'I made a choice on my own from my own experiences, from my history with Chris,' he said. 'I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I've brought on all of us. I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk, 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.'

Rock, pictured in NYC in January, finally addresses the incident in-depth in the special

Rock, pictured in NYC in January, finally addresses the incident in-depth in the special 

Coming soon: He did so while workshopping material for his forthcoming live Netflix special, Selective Outrage, which will air live from Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre on March 4

Rock will speak about the infamous award show exchange in his new Netflix special Selective Outrage 

He referenced their respective roles in the 2001 Smith film Ali and his 1991 movie New Jack City: 'He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie!' Rock was seen in the 1991 crime drama New Jack City

He referenced their respective roles in the 2001 Smith film Ali and his 1991 movie New Jack City: 'He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie!'

Breaking his silence: Earlier this week, Rock opened up for the first time about the infamous Oscars slap he received from Will Smith last year

Smith made international headlines for his outburst toward the comedian at the event at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California

The Oscars exchange between Smith and Rock took place after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head

The Oscars exchange between Smith and Rock took place after Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head

Smith subsequently apologized on multiple occasions over the incident, and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of being issued a 10-year ban from the Oscars

Smith subsequently apologized on multiple occasions over the incident, and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ahead of being issued a 10-year ban from the Oscars

Last month, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it  established a crisis team ahead of this year's March 12 ceremony. 

'Because of last year, we've opened our minds to the many things that can happen at the Oscars,' Academy CEO Bill Kramer told TIME.

Kramer said that the institution has implemented the organization of a group focused on handling emergency situations at the annual event. 

He said: 'We have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place. We've run many scenarios. So, it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we're planning for just in case it does happen.'

Kramer said that the return of Jimmy Kimmel as host - the late night star previously hosted in 2017 and 2018 - adds another layer of protection in having a veteran entertainer at the helm of the show.

'That's why you want someone like Jimmy on stage who is used to dealing with live TV: Things don't always go as planned,' Kramer said. 'So you have a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments... because of last year, we've opened our minds to the many things that can happen at the Oscars.'

Kramer said that Academy officials 'could have moved more quickly' in their reactions to the incident involving Smith and Rock, both on the evening of the show and in the aftermath.

'This is really our response after the show, and how we spoke about it, and how we talked to Will and Chris, and our hosts and our members,' he said. 'It was a moment to really bring people together.'

Smith apologized to the Academy and other nominees in his acceptance speech, but made no reference to Rock

Smith apologized to the Academy and other nominees in his acceptance speech, but made no reference to Rock

An emotional Smith fought back tears while accepting his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard

An emotional Smith fought back tears while accepting his Best Actor Oscar for King Richard 

Academy officials have implemented a new team to deal with crisis situations. A large Oscar statue was seen at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater last month in Beverly Hills as nominations were announced

Academy officials have implemented a new team to deal with crisis situations. A large Oscar statue was seen at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater last month in Beverly Hills as nominations were announced 

The return of Jimmy Kimmel as host - the late night star previously hosted in 2017 and 2018 (pictured) - adds another layer of protection in having a veteran entertainer at the helm of the show, the Academy said

The return of Jimmy Kimmel as host - the late night star previously hosted in 2017 and 2018 (pictured) - adds another layer of protection in having a veteran entertainer at the helm of the show, the Academy said

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