During his recent Netflix live special, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, comedian Chris Rock addressed the infamous slap he received from actor Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars, and also made a few jokes about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s “entanglement” drama.
Rock made it clear that he had no involvement in the incident that led to the slap, stating, “Will Smith practices selective outrage. Everybody that really knows I had nothing to do with that sh*t. I didn’t have any ‘entanglements’.”
He then went on to joke about the situation between Will and Jada, saying, “We all been cheated on. Everybody in this industry has been cheated on. None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television. None of us. … Why the fck would you do that sht? She hurt him way more than he hurt me, okay?”
Rock also touched on the public’s reaction to Will and Jada’s drama, stating that “everybody in the world” called Will a “bitch” after news of Jada’s “entanglement” with singer August Alsina came to light. He even claimed to have tried to call Will about it, but received no answer. “Everybody. And who’s he hit? Me,” Rock joked.
Turning his attention to the slap itself, Rock joked that he would never act like a “victim” over the situation, saying, “You’ll never see me on Oprah or Gayle [King], crying. You will never see it. Never gonna happen.” He also admitted that the slap was painful, jokingly referring to Will as “Suge Smith.”
The incident took place during the live broadcast of the 2022 Oscars when Will marched onstage and slapped Rock after taking offense to a G.I. Jane joke directed at his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s appearance. Will was subsequently banned from attending any Academy events or programs for ten years.
Despite the incident, Rock maintained his composure and received praise from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for his handling of the situation. In his latest special, he made light of the situation and provided his own unique perspective on the drama surrounding Will and Jada.