Chris Rock speaks on Will Smith’s Oscars slap at stand-up show: “I’m still kind of processing what happened”

nme.com:

Chris Rock has spoken publicly for the first time about his run-in with Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars ceremony, where, after Rock made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, Smith walked onstage and slapped him.Though many in the entertainment world have weighed in on the situation – Smith himself having issued a formal apology to Rock, admitting that he was “out of line” – Rock himself kept silent.

That was until he began his first stand-up set since the incident on Wednesday (March 30), when he performed to a sold-out crowd in Boston.He was welcomed to the stage with a standing ovation, Variety reports, and opened the show by vaguely addressing his row with Smith. “How was your weekend?” he asked nonchalantly, eliciting roars of laughter. “I don’t have a bunch of shit [to say] about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I’m not… I have, like, a whole show I wrote before this weekend.”Rock went on to clarify that although he didn’t have a lot to say now, he’ll likely address the situation more in the future.

He explained: “I’m still kind of processing what happened. At some point I’ll talk about that shit – and it will be serious and funny.”Before he could continue, Rock was cut off by one particularly vocal crowd member, who screamed out, “Fuck Will!”Have a listen to an audio recording of the moment below, shared by Variety:A post shared by Variety (@variety)Despite still awarding him with the Oscar for Best Actor In A Leading Role, The Academy condemned Smith’s conduct at this year’s ceremony, saying it had “officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences”.Overnight, The Academy revealed that Smith’s slap led to him being asked to leave the.