Comedian Chris Rock had his first comedy show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta since getting slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. At the show, he told some jokes about the experience, according to People.com.
“Everybody’s trying to be a victim,” Rock said. “If everybody says they’re a victim, nobody’s going to listen to the real victims. I even got spanked by Suge Smith… I went to work the next day, I had kids.” Just for reference, the “Suge Smith” joke is about Suge Knight, the founder and former CEO of West Coast label Death Row Record. Knight has a long reputation for aggressive behavior.
Although Smith issued a video apology for slapping Rock, the comedian and former Oscar host did not address what Smith said. Deadline reported on July 29 that the actor finally broke his silence about his actions and how it affected not only Chris Rock, but his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“It was a blur at the time. It’s all a blur. I’ve contacted Chris and the message he got back is that he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he’ll come over. I’ll tell you, Chris, I apologize. The my behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” Smith said.
He continued: “I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview [she] I did, and that was one of the things I didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking, but how many people were hurt at that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’s mother, I want to apologize to Chris’ family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably beyond repair. I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened at that moment. I won’t try to unpack it all right now, but I can tell you all that there is no part of me that thinks this was the right way to behave at the time. No part of me thinks that this is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult.”