As more time passes, Chris Rock seems to be getting more open about what he's willing to say about the infamous "Oscars slap" that went down at the Academy Awards this year. During the show, Rock had been cracking some jokes on the stage as an award presenter when he took aim at Jada Pinkett Smith. Referencing her short hairstyle, Rock had quipped, "G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it."
It's no secret what happened next. Will Smith took exception to the joke and approached the stage, giving Rock a smack across the mouth. After returning to his seat, Smith then shouted obscenities at Rock, seemingly unphased by millions of people watching this behavior live from around the world. Subsequently, Smith was banned from all Academy events for the next decade while Rock has turned down an invite to return to the Oscars next year as host.
Per Daily Mail UK, Rock had some more to say about the situation during a stand-up set in Liverpool. Rock referred to his G.I. Jane 2 remark as a "bullsh*t joke," and went on to address Smith's reaction. As Rock puts it, he was surprised to be smacked so hard over a joke that he considered being on the tame side of what he usually says in his material.
"Did that sh*t hurt? God damn right. The motherf***er hit me over a bullsh*t joke, the nicest joke I ever told."
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One of Rock's comedy pals was also present at the Liverpool show and had shared his thoughts on Will Smith as well. Dave Chappelle, who has certainly not gone without his own controversies, said that Smith has basically putting on a front for the public over the past three decades. Slapping Rock, as Chappelle explains, was Smith showing his true self behind the "mask."
"Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us. Whatever the consequences are. . I hope he doesn't put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men."
Rock has briefly touched on the slap in previous stand-up shows. On one occasion, he said that he's "not a victim," stressing that he shook off the slap and "went to work the next day." More recently, when he told a Phoenix crowd he turned down the Oscars next year, he compared the situation to Nicole Brown Simpson returning to the restaurant where she had forgotten her glasses on the day she was murdered; that joke had sparked some backlash for Rock.
As of now, Rock has not spoken about the incident beyond jokes on stage told to his fans at stand-up shows. He does not seem to be ready just yet to speak about the slap on television, but it's probably a matter of time before he has a sitdown interview somewhere, somehow and really delves into the whole scenario.