Chris Rock breaks silence after Will Smith Oscars slap: ‘Still processing’
Chris Rock has addressed the massive Will Smith-sized elephant in the room as he took to the stage for the first time since the infamous Oscars slap.
Chris Rock has finally broken his silence admitting he’s “still kind of processing what happened” as he took to the stage in Boston, days after being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars over a joke he made about the actor’s wife.
The US comedian, 57, briefly addressed the gigantic elephant in the room as he took to the stage at the Wilbur Theatre for his first of five sold-out shows.
According to People, he received a lengthy standing ovation when he took to the stage, before telling the crowd he already had a series of jokes lined up and would address the infamous Oscars slap “at some point.”
“What’s up, Boston? How was your weekend?,” Rock said onstage, which was met with laughter from the crowd.
“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.”
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Phones were confiscated from audience members before they entered the venue, but it seems some people managed to get some sneaky footage of the show.
A video, posted on TikTok, shows Rock dressed in all-white performing for a packed crowd.
The comedian had been spotted earlier in the day checking in to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Beantown, keeping his head down as he walked swiftly into the building to avoid paparazzi.
His string of comedy shows comes ahead of the official launch of his Ego Death World Tour – which has seen a huge spike in sales following the shocking Oscars confrontation.
The infamous slap
The horrifying moment unfolded while Rock was presenting the award for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards on Monday, when he mocked Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head and joked: “Jada, I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”
Smith initially appeared to laugh along with the audience, but after seeing his wife – who has openly revealed she suffers from hair loss condition alopecia – roll her eyes, he quickly jumped out of his seat and strode onstage to slap Rock across the face.
Once seated again, Smith yelled across the room, “Leave my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth” twice as the stunned audience and Rock watched on.
A short time later, the King Richard star won the Best Actor award and broke down in tears during his acceptance speech.
“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” Smith began, speaking of Venus and Serena Williams’ father, whom he plays in the biopic.
“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what god is calling on me to do and be in this world.
“I’m being called on in my life, to love people and to protect people. And to be a river to my people,” he said with tears streaming down his cheeks.
“I know to do what we do, you’ve got to be able to take abuse. You’ve got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you’ve got to be able to have people disrespecting you and you’ve got to smile and you’ve got to pretend that’s OK.”
Despite his justifications, Smith went on to offer an apology of sorts for his violence – but very deliberately avoided apologising to Rock.
“I want to apologise to the Academy, I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees,” the emotional actor said to the room, before receiving a standing ovation.
However, on Tuesday, just hours after the Academy announced a formal review into the shocking incident, Smith released a statement in which he admitted he was ashamed of his behaviour and apologised directly to Rock.
“My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable,” Smith wrote on Instagram.
“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.
“I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.
“There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
Rock offered ‘after care package’ by Academy
Insiders said Rock – who declined to press charges against Smith following the shock moment – was offered an “after care package” by the Academy to cope with the incident.
A source said: “The Academy publicly condemned Will slapping Chris and behind the scenes they went into full crisis mode.
“Once the ceremony was over they called in key members to hold an emergency meeting about what action they should take.
“There have been calls to have Will stripped of his Best Actor gong.
“They cannot be seen to be condoning violence in any way and there are some people in the Academy who believe they should remove the award from him to make a point.
“Others however believe he should be allowed to hold onto it.
“Chris was immediately supported backstage and has been offered a package of after care where he can talk to professionals provided by the Academy if needed.
“The Academy are taking this incredibly seriously.”
Will Smith refused request to leave ceremony
In a bombshell new twist to the saga, the Academy revealed on Thursday that Smith was asked to vacate the Dolby Theatre after “the deeply shocking, traumatic event”, but the actor stood his ground and went on to receive Best Actor to a standing ovation.
In a statement, the organisation admitted “things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated,” while detailing what happened in the room.
“While we would like to clarify that Mr Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognise we could have handled the situation differently,” the statement read.
As reported by Deadline, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors have given Smith “15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response”.
It comes after an initial vote was overwhelmingly in favour of taking the matter further.
“At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct,” the statement read.
According to Deadline, the Academy could also decide to press charges against Smith, even though Rock declined to file a police report.
On Tuesday, the Academy had announced it was going to “explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law”.
The news came after reports of a furious top-secret Zoom meeting held after the ceremony in which some members of the Academy demanded the Men In Black star be booted from the prestigious organisation.
‘Physically ill’: Support from A-list pals
While Smith was the one pictured getting a pep talk from Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper and Tiffany Haddish before receiving a standing ovation onstage in the aftermath of the incident, plenty of high-profile figures have publicly spoken out in support of Rock in the days since.
Comedian Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted this year’s ceremony alongside Regina Hall and Amy Schumer, told Ellen DeGeneres this week that what happened was “sickening”.
“I just felt so awful for my friend Chris,” she said in a teaser for the interview, which will air on Thursday in the US.
“It was sickening. I physically felt ill and I’m still a little traumatised by it. And for them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award – I was like, ‘How gross is this?’ This is just the wrong message. You assault somebody, you get escorted out of the building and that’s it. For them to let him continue, I thought it was gross.”
Sykes also shared that she saw Rock, 57, at an afterparty, where the Saturday Night Live alum actually issued her an apology, to which she said, “Why are you apologising?”
Sykes said Rock told her that it was “supposed to be” her night, adding, “You, and Amy and Regina, y’all were doing such a great job. I’m so sorry this is now going to be about this.”
Schumer also spoke out in support of Rock, writing on Instagram that she was “still triggered and traumatised” over the incident.
“I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro,” the Trainwreck star, 40, added. “Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing.”
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