Chris Rock Finally Opens Up About Will Smith's Infamous Slap In Netflix Special

Ben Blanchet
Updated ·3 min read
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Chris Rock, during a live Netflix special on Saturday, quipped that he had Will Smith’s “Summertime” ringing in his ears after the Best Actor winner infamously slapped him at the Oscars last year.

Rock, who has been relativelyquiet about the incident, opened up about Smith’s infamous hit roughly a year after Rock’s joke aimed at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, led the actor to approach the comedian on the awards show stage.

Rock, during his “Selective Outrage” special, joked that he “took that hit like” Manny Pacquiao.

“People are like ‘Did it hurt?’ ... I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” said Rock, who addressed the slap in depth more than an hour into his special.

Rock, who declared that he’s not a victim, tackled a number of topics in his special including “wokeness,” politics, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, and his love life.

He also examined Smith’s career in Hollywood in one joke, including his “shirtless” appearance in movies and remarked about how Smith’s a “big dude,” unlike himself.

“If you see me in a movie getting open heart surgery, I got on a sweater,” Rock said.

He continued: “Will Smith played Muhammad Ali. You think I auditioned for that part? I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’ I played a piece of corn. Even in animated movies this motherfucker is bigger. I’m a zebra, he’s a shark.”

Rock also made light of Smith and his wife’s “entanglement” discussion in which Pinkett Smith opened up about a relationship with August Alsina during a “Red Table Talk” episode in 2020.

“His wife was fucking her son’s friend. I normally wouldn’t talk about this shit. ... No one has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television. Why the fuck would you do that shit?” Rock asked.

“She hurt him way more than she hurt me. Everybody in the world called him a bitch. I tried to call the motherfucker, I tried to call that man and give him my condolences. ... Everybody called him a bitch and who’s he hit? Me.”

Rock later took a jab at Smith despite praising his work in Hollywood.

“I rooted for Will Smith my whole life and now I watch ‘Emancipation’ just so I could watch him get whooped,” Rock said.

He then commented about the idea that “words hurt” and subtly tied the hit from Smith into his bit.

“Anybody who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face. Words hurt when you write them on a brick,” Rock quipped.

He also referred to rapper Snoop Dogg but promised that he wasn’t dissing the famed West Coast artist.

“The last thing I need is another mad rapper,” he joked.

Rock’s special comes nearly a year after Smith’s actions led the actor to apologize and resign from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, on top of a 10-year-ban from its events.

Rock’s special is set to be available on Netflix following its live screening on Saturday.

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