He's yet to publicly address the slap that was seen around the world, but sellers of tickets to Chris Rock's comedy tour in the US are having a field day, with one reporting sales surging to as much as 25 times the daily average.
According to StubHub, the ticket exchange and resale company, total ticket sales for Rock’s tour in the past two days have eclipsed all tickets sold in the entire month of March.
“Now that we are 48 hours from Sunday evening, it’s evident that demand for Chris Rock shows has jumped dramatically, based on our ticket buying trends on StubHub,” Mike Silveira, spokesman for StubHub told The Hollywood Reporter.
“At this stage in his tour, on an average day, we’d expect to see a spike in sales in the 24 or 48 hours prior to a show date as last-minute sales roll in — but it is incredibly unusual to see the spike we have experienced. With daily sales remarkably more than 25 times higher than the average we have seen in the last month, we anticipate this interest will likely sustain for a short time.”
Rock, 57, is currently on his Ego Death World Tour, with dates across the US and Canada. Incidentally, he's set to perform two shows in November at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the scene of the infamous slap.
On Sunday night, Rock was presenting the Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars when he made a few jokes, including one directed at Jada Pinkett Smith. Will Smith, who was nominated for Best Actor for his role in King Richard, then walked up on stage and smacked Rock in the face.
Smith, who would later go on to win the award, then continued to hurl expletives at Rock as the dramatic moment unfolded on live television.
In his acceptance speech, the actor compared himself to Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena Williams, who he portrayed in King Richard.
"Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. 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," he said.
"I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people. And to be a river to my people. And I know to do what we do, you’ve got to be able to take abuse, and you’ve got 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 pretend like that’s okay."
While audiences and celebrities reacted with shock at the display of violence, it took the actor a good 24 hours to offer up an apology to Rock.
"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," Smith posted on Instagram.
On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, condemned Smith's behaviour and said "appropriate action" will be taken against him.
In a letter to members obtained by Variety and signed by president David Rubin and chief executive Dawn Hudson, the academy said it was "upset and outraged" by the incident.
"We condemn Mr Smith’s actions that transpired Sunday night," they said. "As outlined in our bylaws, the Academy’s Board of Governors will now make a determination on appropriate action for Mr Smith. As governed by California law regarding members of non-profit organisations like the Academy, and set forth in our Standards of Conduct, this must follow an official process that will take a few weeks.
"Please trust that the Board of Governors will conduct this process in a manner that is both expedient and respectful of all involved while maintaining the standards of the Academy."
Rock, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, had earlier declined to file a police report following the incident.
"If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report," they said.
