Got most of my hearing back: Chris on slapgate
Comedian Chris Rock has recovered from the infamous Oscar slap incident and now jokes publicly about the controversy.
During a standup set at the Royal Albert Hall in London, UK, on Thursday, the 57-year-old briefly cracked a joke about the protracted impact of actor Will Smith’s infamous strike at him at the 94th Academy Awards.
Rock, during his new live comedy show, Ego Death, said that words don’t hurt as much as being hit in the face. “I’m okay if anybody was wondering,” Rock said, according to People magazine, adding, “Got most of my hearing back.”
“Don’t expect me to talk about the bulls,” he also said. “I’ll talk about it at some point... Your tickets were expensive, but not that expensive,” he quipped.
“Anyone who thinks words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock continued.
The comedian had earlier said that he would not discuss the slap until he saw a cheque with his name on it. “I’m okay. I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” he told the audience last month during a comedy performance at Fantasy
Springs Resort Casino in California, USA. Just a week before his casino gig, the creator of the sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris, told fans during a surprise visit to a comedy cellar in New York City, USA, “Lower your expectations. I’m not going to address that sh*t.”
At the Oscars, Smith, 53, walked onstage and struck Rock in reaction to a joke the comedian had made about his wife, actor Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Since the incident, Smith, who went on to win Best Actor for his overall performance in King Richard (2021), has publicly apologised to Rock, saying that he “reacted emotionally”. Smith has resigned from the Academy, which has also banned him from attending its events for 10 years.