Fans who were expecting Chris Rock to break his silence and address the Will Smith slap incident during his standup show at Fantasy Springs on Friday weren’t in luck as the veteran comedian made it known he wasn’t going to talk about it.
The 57-year-old was on stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars last month when he made a joke about Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Smith, 53, walked up on stage and slapped Rock before telling the comedian to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth.
But though Rock has been on a standup tour in the aftermath of the bizarre incident, he has continued to remain mum. And shortly after taking the stage on Friday, the comedian told his fans he won’t talk about the slap until he gets paid, Desert Sun reported.
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“I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid. Life is good. I got my hearing back,” he said.
The slapping incident happened days before Rock was set to host six standup shows at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre. And during the first show in late March, the comedian told his fans he was still “processing” the incident.
“I don’t have a bunch of sh*t about what happened,” he told the audience at the time. “So if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” he added. “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
The 57-year-old, however, assured the audience he’ll eventually “talk about” the incident, adding that when he does, it “will be serious and funny.” And though a member in the audience also shouted “F*ck Will Smith!”, Rock did not respond.
Millions of people who watched the onstage slap during the Oscars have described it as not only shocking but one of the craziest situations at the Oscars. Following the incident, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement condemning Smith’s actions. The organization also announced it had opened disciplinary proceedings against Smith.
The King Richard actor has since been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years. Smith also announced his resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
