This past week marked a major development in the aftermath of Will Smith’s Oscars incident. Several months after the star slapped Chris Rock on stage (and the internet exploded as a result), Smith broke his silence and apologized to the star for the polarizing moment. The King Richard star said that he’s here whenever Rock is “ready to talk.” It doesn’t look like the comedian has reached out to Smith just yet, though he did share a response of sorts through a recent stand-up act.
Since the Academy Awards snafu, Chris Rock has pretty much been back on his grind and has performed at a number of venues over the past few months. He even did a massive show at MSG with Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle last weekend. On Friday, Rock performed in Atlanta as part of his Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour (via CNN) only hours after Will Smith dropped his video. Though Rock didn’t address the apology directly, he did mention the I Am Legend star while discussing victims:
Everybody is trying to be a fucking 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.
The Spiral star has played coy when it comes to discussing his true feelings about what went down at the Oscars. But Chris Rock has found off-handed ways to mention the slap during his comedy sets. For instance, a few months ago, Rock cracked a joke after Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage. Not only that, but Rock’s also made jokes about being punched in the face and, at this most recent show, he continued that streak:
Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.
The Head of State alum was slapped by Will Smith while presenting the award for Best Documentary Feature during this year’s Oscars ceremony. During his set, the comic joked that he was looking forward to seeing Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in a G.I. Jane sequel (referring to her shaved head). A displeased Smith took to the stage shortly after.
After the incident, Chris Rock declined to press charges. The following week, the Bad Boys for Life star issued an apology for what happened at the Oscars. He subsequently resigned from the Academy after slapping Rock, with the organization later expelling him for a decade as punishment. In the aftermath, the A-lister has faced a few setbacks when it comes to a number of his upcoming projects.
It would seem that Will Smith is going to continue to keep things low key for a little while. Meanwhile, Chris Rock is gaining social media followers and is engaged in a Hollywood romance with actress Lake Bell. It’s clear that Smith does indeed want to make amends with Rock, and even Jada Pinkett Smith has called for a reconciliation. But of course, they’ll just have to wait for the comedy to decide when he’s ready to open up.