‘Chris Rock still on the BS after slap gate’
Chris Rock has hit back at Will Smith with a particularly cutting remark following the infamous Oscars slap – saying that the only reason he watched the actor’s movie Emancipation was to watch him get whipped.
The comedian has been testing out material for his upcoming live Netflix special, dropping Saturday – including jokes about the infamous Oscars slap a year after it made headlines around the world.
Smith, 54, slapped Rock, 58, at the Academy Awards after the comic made a G.I Jane joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, who has alopecia.
At first, the French Prince star shouted “keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth”, from the crowd, before assaulting him on stage. Smith went on to win a Best Actor award for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard, in the tennis biopic King Richard.
While the controversy went quiet some time ago, Rock is said to address the sage in his stand-up special, Selective Outrage.
In one of the preparation performances, he told crowds at a packed out theatre that he “rooted for Will Smith” his whole life, according to the New York Post.
Set-up complete, he then landed a killer crack, by mentioning he had hate-watched the star’s movie, Emancipation, where he plays an tortured, escaped slave.
“The other day, I watched ‘Emancipation’ just so I could watch him getting whipped.”
In the special, Rock also speaks out about the night Smith stormed the stage, with a source telling Page Six that “the comedian is waiting to spill his humourous take on it” in his major stand-up show.
Before the special, Rock is said to have been trialing jokes about Smith during his ‘Ego Death’ tour.
“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” Rock told a 2,300-strong crowd on February 17, at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre, the Baltimore Sun reported.
“People who are in the know, know that s*** had nothing to do with me,” he said.
“He is significantly bigger than me. You will never see me on camera with my shirt off. Will played Muhammad Ali. I played Pookie [in 1991’s ‘New Jack City’].”
According to a Deadline report, Rock previously joked at London’s O2 Arena with Dave Chappelle, “He played Ali! I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather.”
As was the case with the Oscars slap, the comment has divided opinion, with dozens of people discussing the joke on Twitter.
“Chris Rock ‘joked’ about watching Emancipation to watch Will Smith get whipped.
“Almost a full year after he made fun of his wife’s illness,” said one.
This is the Chris Rock who said he watched “Emancipation” to see Will Smith to get whipped. He’s not a hero and shouldn’t be made out to be one https://t.co/AcRObeiDry
— 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩𝐞 (@exavierpope) March 4, 2023
“Remind why f***ing slapping was the worse thing to do in this situation?”
Another wrote: “Chris really said if I’m gon get slapped at the Oscars imma make some damn money from it.”
On the other side of the coin, in response to people accusing the comedian of “milking” it, one person said: “Of course he’s gonna be teasing and promoting it. And he was assaulted so it’s his to milk however much he wants.”
https://twitter.com/FreakyRedd69/status/1631796891766726657
https://twitter.com/rayethequeen/status/1631772976549883908
A second chimed in: “Will Smith made an IG post like a week ago holding his Oscar and people made the assumption and inference that Will had no regrets about that night.
“Since Chris hasn’t addressed it, he can address it whenever he wants. Plenty ppl will watch even those that say they won’t.”
Vanity Fair has compiled an extensive list of everything Rock has said since the slap – and it is a lot.
Related links:
- I Am Legend sequel starring original cast officially in the works
- Will Smith and Martin Lawrence confirm Bad Boys 4 is officially in the works
- Jada Pinkett Smith celebrates ‘Bald Is Beautiful Day’ months after Chris Rock’s Oscars joke
