By now, probably everyone in the world has learned about the Oscars incident where Will Smith walked onto the stage and slapped Chris Rock. The incident happened while Rock was on stage, presenting an award.
Like many comedians at big events, he was making jokes. He made a joke about Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that did not land well with Will Smith.
Rock compared her to G.I. Jane. The joke was about her shaved head. Jada has alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss.
Will Smith did not take the joke well. He got up from his seat and walked onto the stage, only to slap Rock in front of everyone watching live television.
Then he went back to his seat and shouted, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f—— mouth!.” The entire world was shocked. Moreover, people were even more shocked while trying to understand why Rock did not slap him back.
So Will Smith smacked the shit out of Chris Rock over this joke and is not even together with Jada Pinkett 😭😭😭😭… this is embarrassing city boys down -1000 pic.twitter.com/l0SPqz4xsz
— Chombe🃏 (@Chombe1080) October 11, 2023
After the Oscars incident, Chris Rock talked about it in his Netflix comedy show Selective Outrage, wherein Rock explained that, of course, the slap did hurt.
However, he made it clear that he does not see himself as a victim of Will Smith’s slap. He said he did not want people to feel sorry for him or see him cry on television. Rock wanted to show that he is strong and can handle it.
When he compared himself to Pacquiao, he meant that he took the hit and stayed standing. He did not fall apart but kept going.
Rock also meant something deeper. As a Black man on that stage in front of powerful, mostly white Hollywood people, reacting physically was something he avoided. So staying calm was a smart move.
Not only that, but Rock also said, “Because I was raised, okay? I’ve got parents, and you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.”
Will smith just smacked Chris Rock on live TV for talking about his wife. #DramaAlert pic.twitter.com/iwlgLc2B3O
— KEEM 🍿 (@KEEMSTAR) March 28, 2022
After the slap incident, Will Smith was punished by the Academy. He was banned from attending the Oscars for a decade.
Later, during his comedy show, Chris Rock talked about Will Smith again. Even though Smith slapped him, Rock acknowledged that Smith is much bigger and physically stronger than him.
Rock made jokes about the size difference between them. He basically said that Smith is very fit and muscular, and he has acted in movies where he shows his body and looks very strong.
He also joked about himself, saying he is not like that. He made fun of his own body, saying he is smaller and not muscular. He laughed at himself to make the audience laugh.
He also mentioned that Will Smith once played the iconic boxer Muhammad Ali, who was a legendary fighter.
#RIPMuhammadAli
We want remember his story with the movie Ali (2001) with Will Smith. pic.twitter.com/6v3QXMU3iT
— suffragettecinema (@suffragettecine) June 4, 2016
By saying this, Rock was reminding everyone that Smith had played strong, powerful roles in movies. Rock also said that if he were to get a role in a movie where he is having open-heart surgery, he would wear a sweater, unlike Will Smith, who played Muhammad Ali.
