"I've talked about it enough": Jerrod Carmichael pokes fun at Will Smith x Chris Rock Oscars drama during SNL monologue

Stand-up comedian and Neighbors (2014) star Jerrod Carmichael had his first go at hosting an SNL episode on Saturday, April 2. The 33-year-old comedian mocked Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock throughout his monologue, which fetched a lot of laughter on the set.

In the monologue, Carmichael addressed his recent coming out on his HBO stand-up special, Rothaniel, which was released a day prior to his SNL debut. While joking about the Oscars incident, he explained to the audience how he chose not to talk about the incident again before directing his message towards former US President Barack Obama to speak about the matter.

The North Carolina native also delved into self-deprecating humor to express how he felt about not being famous enough to speak on the matter. Carmichael also joked about being the least-known host in the show's history.

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Jerrod Carmichael's jokes about Will Smith's altercation with Chris Rock during the 94th Academy Awards

Right at the beginning of his Saturday Night Live monologue, Jerrod Carmichael told the audience that he would not be speaking about the Will Smith x Chris Rock incident. While elaborating on his statement, he stated:

"I talked about it enough. I kept talking about it. Kept thinking about it. I don't want to talk about it. And you can't make me talk about it."

However, moments later, Carmichael questioned the audience on the New York set and whether they wanted to talk about it. He also asked if they were "sick of talking about it." He also added how it had only been a week since the incident, yet it felt like a year to him.

Jerrod Carmichael joked that he was initially excited to talk about last Sunday's incident, but his excitement fizzled out by Tuesday. He added that by March 29, the conversation about the altercation in media and online became "about a lot of proxy arguments."

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What did Jerrod Carmichael say about his interaction with SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels regarding the 2022 Oscars slap incident?

As per Jerrod Carmichael's claims in the monologue, Lorne Michaels approached the comedian prior to his on-stage appearance and asked him to address the Oscars incident. According to Carmichael, Michaels told him:

"I think you need to talk about it…the nation needs to heal."

As host, the comedian proceeded to joke about the interaction at his own expense and addressed the fact that he is not known to mainstream audiences. He jokingly said:

"The nation don't even know me…The nation has no clue who I am."

Later, Carmichael and the SNL cast performed a sketch of their humorous interpretation of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. Impressively, Carmichael refrained from mentioning Rock and Smith's names in his opening monologue.