It appears Chris Rock has been talking about the Will Smith slap but in a subtle manner. During his latest stand-up show in Baltimore, he referenced “nicks and bruises”. According to Hello Magazine;
The comedian addressed the incident, where Will got up on stage and struck Chris while he was presenting an Oscar for Best Documentary, while at Baltimore’s Lyric Performing Arts Centre. He joked: “I’m alright. I’m alright. Healed from the nicks and bruises…for the most part.”
The comedian has made several jokey references about the moment that shocked the world. In early April during a gig in California, he said:”I’m okay. I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back.”
Despite Will Smith slapping Chris Rock, he once “disagreed with a heckler who shouted out a negative comment about Will during one of his stand-up shows”.
During the show, as reported by People, an audience member shouted: “[expletive] Will Smith,” to which Chris simply replied:”No, no, no, no, no,” clearly disagreeing with the cursing against the fellow actor.
Following the shocking incident, Will has been banned from any Academy events for the next decade. The Academy also released a statement apologising for how the situation was handled, writing: “We want to express our deep gratitude to Mr. Rock for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances. We also want to thank our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.”
Will, who received a standing ovation on the evening and won the Best Actor accolade for King Richard, responded: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
There is going to be a time and place for Rock to fully speak on it, but it doesn’t seem like he is ready yet. I get the feeling Oprah will be involved.
Flip to the next pages for more of the slap heard around the world.