The Oscars has long been observed as a tradition for honoring exemplary men and women in the industry for their talents and crafts. But if there's one thing that many recall from the previous Oscars night, it would be the infamous slapgate that happened between Will Smith and Chris Rock.
Even though the slapping incident happened almost a year ago, the two men have not really made peace with what transpired. And even though Smith has reached out a few times to Rock, the latter has not yet accepted the apology and has tried to keep mum about the situation.
That is, until today, when reports show that Rock is ready to talk about slapgate.
How Does Chris Rock Plan to Talk About Slapgate?
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Rock has been working on the material in his Charleston arena show back in January. The report revealed that the actor made several jokes related to the Oscars incident.
Here are some of the jokes Rock made related to the incident, which will also be part of Rock's newest live and unedited Netflix special entitled Chris Rock: Selective Outrage:
"The other day, I watched Emancipation just so I could watch him getting whipped.”
Emancipation is Smith's latest movie, where he plays a tortured, escaped slave.
The title of the show is a nod to Smith, who Rock says "practices selective outrage."
"People who are in the know, know that s--t had nothing to do with me. He is significantly bigger than me. You will never see me on camera with my shirt off. Will Smith is a big dude. I am not. Will Smith is shirtless in his movies. If you see me in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’m gonna have a sweater on.”
“The thing people wanna know … did it hurt? Hell yeah it hurt. He played Muhammad Ali. I played Pookie [in 1991's New Jack City.] Even in animated movies I’m a zebra, he’s a f—ing shark. I got hit so hard, I heard Summertime ringing in my ears.”
Despite making jokes about the incident, Rock kept his word by never mentioning Jada Pinkett Smith, Will's wife's name. Instead, he only referred to her as "Will Smith's wife" or "his wife."
Still, Rock continued to mock Pinkett Smith for cheating on Smith in 2016. It was revealed that Pinkett Smith had an affair with August Alsina, who was a friend of their son, Jaden. This led Smith to go on public and say that they were "in an open marriage."
"We have all been cheated on. She hurt him way more than he ever hurt me. Everyone knows. I'm not spilling any tea."
Rock also shared that he "rooted for Will Smith my whole life" and that he "felt so bad for Will, I tried to call and give him my condolences. Everybody was calling him a b–-h except me. But who does he hit? Me."
Has Will Smith Apologized to Chris Rock for the Oscars Slap?
Yes, shortly after the incident took place, Smith posted a video on YouTube apologizing to Rock.
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Smith also added that he has "reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out.”
RELATED: Will Smith Posts Emotional Apology to Chris Rock: "I'm Here Whenever You're Ready to Talk"
In response to the video, Rock was quoted saying: "F--k your hostage video."
More recently, Smith has poked fun at his actions in a TikTok video. Rock, has not responded to this yet. Check out the trailer of Chris Rock: Selective Outrage here:
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage is coming out on March 4, 2023 at 10 pm ET.