Chris Rock has spoken about the Will Smith slap for the first time, saying he is “still processing” what happened at the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night.
The comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s, alopecia-induced hair loss, causing the actor to storm on stage and slap Rock across the face, before screaming “keep my wife’s name out your [expletive] mouth” at Rock.
The incident has been dubbed as the most shocking moment to ever come from the Oscars, and Smith is currently facing disciplinary action from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
While Smith issued a public apology to Rock and the academy, Rock has kept quiet since the ceremony, although he did tell the Los Angeles Police Department that he did not want to press charges.
However, Rock has now addressed the slap for the first time, during his sold-out Ego Death comedy tour, which kicked off on Wednesday night in Boston.
Walking on stage to a standing ovation, Rock said: “So, how was your weekend?”
He then reportedly got upset, saying: “Let me be all misty … I don’t have a bunch ... to say about that, so if you came here for that … I had written a whole show before this weekend.
“I’m still processing what happened, so at some point I’ll talk about that. It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now, I’m going to tell some jokes.”
Later on in the set, he said: “I haven’t talked to anyone, despite what you heard.”
Rock’s comments come on the same day it was revealed that Smith was asked by the academy’s chief executive, Dawn Hudson, to leave the ceremony after the incident, but the actor refused.
Shortly afterwards, he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in King Richard, in which he portrays the father of tennis ace sisters, Venus and Serena Williams.
Disciplinary proceedings are now under way against Smith for violating the academy’s code of conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behaviour, and compromising the integrity of the academy.
