Chris Rock is breaking his silence after Will Smith slapped him on stage at the 2022 Oscars.
The March 27 awards show came to a brief standstill when the presenter took a swipe at Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, joking, "Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can't wait to see it, alright?" The crack prompted Jada—who has been open about her alopecia diagnosis—to roll her eyes and Will to take the stage.
Returning to his seat, post-slap, Will yelled to Chris, "Keep my wife's name out your f--king mouth."
Chris kept his cool on stage and quickly segued to the Best Documentary presentation, but now, he's speaking out.
At the beginning of his comedy show in Boston on March 30, Chris jokingly asked the audience, "How was your weekend?" according to audio of the show published by Variety.
Following laughs, he shared, "I don't have a bunch of s--t about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend."
What will he say about the incident? "I'm still kind of processing what happened," Chris said. "So, at some point I'll talk about that s--t. And it will be serious and funny."
But for the time being, Chris is focusing on his standup, adding, "I'm gonna tell some jokes... It's nice to just be out."
Chris did not file a police report with the Los Angeles Police Department following the physical altercation. In a statement obtained by E! News, the LAPD said their "investigative entities are aware of an incident between two individuals during the Academy Awards program. The incident involved one individual slapping another. The individual involved has declined to file a police report. If the involved party desires a police report at a later date, LAPD will be available to complete an investigative report."
The Academy also addressed the incident prior to Chris' response, saying it "does not condone violence of any form" in a statement posted to Twitter on March 28, hours after the awards ceremony. The Academy has since said they are exploring possible consequences for Will's actions, stating on March 30 that "Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused."
Will, for his part, apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees after being awarded the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams' father, tennis coach Richard Williams, in King Richard.
"Art imitates life, I look like the crazy father," Will, who shares kids Jaden Smith and Willow Smith with Jada and son Trey Smith with ex Sheree Zampino, said. "Love will make you do crazy things."
Will apologized directly to Chris in a social media message the following day. "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris," he wrote in a statement. "I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."
Jada also seemingly referenced the debacle on March 29, when she shared a message that read, "This is a season for healing. And I'm here for it."
The incident was not the first time the comedian's poked fun at her on the Oscars stage. When he hosted the Academy Awards in 2016, he teased Jada for skipping out on the ceremony due to a lack of diversity, saying, "Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties—I wasn't invited."
And though Jada previously brushed off the jab, saying, "it comes with the territory but we gotta keep it moving," this one is a bit more personal for the star, who has been open about her struggle with hair loss.
"I was in the shower one day and had just handfuls of hair in my hands and I was just like, 'Oh my god, am I going bald?'" she shared in a May 2018 episode of her Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk. "It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking in fear...That's why I cut my hair, and why I continue to cut it."
Keeping reading to see other celebrities have said about the 2022 Oscars debacle.