Chris Rock Drops Pained Revelation About Will Smith's Oscars Slap: 'Like a Paper Cut'
Chris Rock directly addressed Will Smith's Oscars slap for the first time during his stand-up show.
This week, Rock and Kevin Hart performed at New York City's Madison Square Garden on Saturday during their Only Headliners Allowed comedy tour. Dave Chappelle also appeared 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 told Entertainment Tonight.
The source did not disclose what the comedian said, but a separate attendee disclosed to Us Weekly the exact words he said.
"Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face," he said. He later told the crowd during a sketch about people playing the victim that he is not a victim.
Rock continued: "I shook that s-t off and returned to work. Yeah, that sh-t hurt, motherf-ker. But I shook that sh-t off and went to work the next day ... I don't go to the hospital for a papercut."
It was the first time he addressed the incident as he previously proclaimed that he would only be making jokes about the slap once he fully processed what happened.
A day after the incident, he had sold-out tickets for his stand-up show but did not say anything about the slap yet.
What Happened to Chris Rock and Will Smith
During the Oscars 2022, the 53-year-old "King Richard" star struck Rock on stage after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith being prepared for the next "G.I. Jane" movie.
While Smith initially appeared to laugh at the joke, his mood changed immediately after seeing his wife roll her eyes and look displeased.
Rock reportedly did not know about the actress' alopecia, and he received a slap from Smith after dropping the joke.
After the infamous slap, Smith went back to his seat and yelled, "Keep my wife's name out of your f-----g mouth!" twice.
Smith has since issued a public apology for his action, but he never apologized to the comedian personally. Still, he was banned from all Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events for the next 10 years.
Instead of talking to Rock, he has been staying out of the spotlight and focused on his spiritual journey in India. A source confirmed to PEOPLE that the travel is for spiritual purposes and to practice meditation and yoga.
