Chris Rock Shades Will Smith After Oscars Slap; Strongly Speaks Up About Cancel Culture
Chris Rock finally broke his silence four months after Will Smith slapped him at the 2022 Oscars.
Over the weekend, Rock took his chance to share his thoughts about the experience and made a joke about it instead while doing his stand-up show.
A source confirmed it to Entertainment Tonight, saying that the comedian just had his performance at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Rock and Kevin Hart co-headlined the aforesaid Only Headliners Allowed comedy tour and presented Dave Chappelle as a surprise guest.
"[Chris Rock] made a joke about Will during a bit about 'cancel culture,' joking that 'anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,'" the insider said.
It was the first time he addressed the incident as he previously divulged that he would only be making jokes about the slap once he fully processed what happened.
Previously, he had sold-out tickets for his stand-up show days after the 2022 Oscars. He received a standing ovation, although he did not talk about the slap at all.
"I don't have a bunch of sh-t 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 sh-t. And it will be serious and funny," he said.
While his career skyrocketed after the Oscars, Smith has been staying out of the spotlight. He has also been banned from all Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events for the next 10 years.
Kevin Hart Reflected on Oscars' Slap
Hart's appearance alongside Rock came after the "Jumanji" actor spoke up earlier this month about the "slap heard around the world."
In an exclusive interview with ET Online's Rachel Smith during the premiere of "DC League of Super-Pets" in Los Angeles, Hart said Smith was apologetic since the event happened.
"Will is apologetic, you know, he's in a better space, of course, than what he was after. People are human and as humans, sometimes we make mistakes. So it's not about talking about the past, it's about acknowledging the present and doing your best to move forward," he said.
Hart then said that he hoped that the two actors would reconcile soon since he wants nothing but to see people "be the best."
Even the stars' mutual friend, Tyler Perry, told Gayle King during the panel at the Tribeca Film Festival that both of his friends faced difficult situations.
