“Not talking about that until I get paid”: Chris Rock sheds light on Will Smith Oscars slap fiasco during comedy show

Chris Rock reportedly spoke about his Oscars controversy with Will Smith in a brief address during his stand-up comedy show at Fantasy Springs on Friday.

According to sources, the comedian said he would not discuss the incident in detail unless he is compensated for the same:

“I’m okay, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that [the Will Smith incident] until I get paid.”

He then joked that the slap helped him regain his hearing:

“Life is good. I got my hearing back.”

Rock reportedly continued his show in good spirits and made jokes about celebrities and politicians like Hillary Clinton, Meghan Markle, and The Kardashians throughout the evening.

His set also included humorous takes on general topics like corporations embracing diversity and fear of offending others as well as personal issues like raising his daughters, divorce, being single and jokes about referring his friends to his former wife’s lawyer.

The publication also mentioned that Chris Rock ended his show with a standing ovation from the audience. No mobile phones were allowed during the show and attendees were asked to keep their devices in a locking pouch.

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Did Chris Rock accept Will Smith’s apology?

Will Smith issued a public apology for slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars (Image via Getty Images/Myung Chun)

During the 2022 Oscars ceremony, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head and likened her appearance to Demi Moore’s 2007 character G.I. Jane. This prompted Will Smith to slap the comedian onstage before yelling at him to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth.

The incident took the entertainment industry by storm and led to widespread criticism. While Smith’s act of violence was largely condemned by celebrities and the general public alike, some also criticized Rock’s debatable joke.

Shortly after the incident, Smith won the Oscar Award for Best Actor for his performance in King Richard. Although the actor apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees during his emotional acceptance speech, he did not mention Rock’s name in the address.

After the award show came to an end, Smith issued a public apology to Rock on Instagram and admitted that he was “out of line and wrong.” The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum also mentioned that he was “embarrassed” by the situation and that his actions were “not indicative” of the man that he wanted to be.

Although Chris Rock did not respond to Will Smith’s apology, he refused to press legal charges against the actor. Representatives for the comedian also said that Rock was reportedly not aware of Pinkett Smith’s alopecia before making the joke about her appearance.

Rock first acknowledged the incident in public during his sold-out comedy show at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on March 30 and said he was still “processing” the situation:

“I don't have a bunch of sh*t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened.”

The comedian has not acknowledged Smith’s apology so far. The latter has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has also been banned from the Academy for 10 years.