Chris Rock: 'I took Will Smith’s slap like Manny Pacquiao' says comedian on Netflix special Selective Outrage a year on from Will Smith hitting Chris Rock

Chris Rock has slammed Will Smith over the Oscars slap, joking he “took that hit like Pacquiao”.

The comedian made the comment during his Netflix special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore, which was the company’s first foray into live streaming.

The 58-year-old kicked off his stand-up special joking: “I’m going to try and do a show without offending nobody. You never know who might get triggered.

Oscars 2022: What did Chris Rock say to Will Smith? Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock? GI Jane joke explained

During the annual awards show in March of this year, Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after comments the comedian made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.During the annual awards show in March of this year, Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after comments the comedian made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
During the annual awards show in March of this year, Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after comments the comedian made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Anybody that says words hurt have never been punched in the face.”

Rock’s material immediately dovetailed into the 2022 Oscars, joking about “wokeness”, hypersensitivity and what he called “selective outrage”, after Hollywood actor Smith stormed the stage and slapped him.

Oscars 2022: What did Chris Rock say to Will Smith? Why Will Smith hit Chris Rock and what happened at the Oscars. (Image credit: Angela Weiss, Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)Oscars 2022: What did Chris Rock say to Will Smith? Why Will Smith hit Chris Rock and what happened at the Oscars. (Image credit: Angela Weiss, Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
Oscars 2022: What did Chris Rock say to Will Smith? Why Will Smith hit Chris Rock and what happened at the Oscars. (Image credit: Angela Weiss, Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

He said: “You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith. Everybody knows. Yes it happened, I got smacked like a year ago.

“People were like, did it hurt? It still hurts. I got Summertime ringing in my ears.

“But I’m not a victim baby, you’ll never see me on Oprah crying. You will never see it. Never going to happen.”

In the aftermath of the slap, Smith, who went on to win best actor on the night, apologised to both Rock and the Academy.

Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "King Richard" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "King Richard" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Will Smith cries as he accepts the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role for "King Richard" at the Oscars on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Joking about former boxer Manny Pacquiao, Rock said: “I took that hit like Pacquiao. Will Smith is significantly bigger than me, we are not the same size.

“This guy does most of his movies with his shirt off, you’ve never seen me do a movie with my shirt off. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie, you think I auditioned for that part.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“But, Will Smith practises selective outrage. Because everybody knows what the f*** happened. Everybody that really knows, knows that I have nothing to do with that shit. I didn’t have any entanglements.”

Rock also spoke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk interview in which she admitted having a relationship with rapper August Alsina while married to Smith.

He said: “His wife was f****** her son’s friend. I normally would not talk about this, but for some reason they put that shit on the internet.

“I have no idea why two talented people would do something that low down. We all been cheated on. Everybody in here has been cheated on.

“None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television.

“She hurt him way more than he hurt me. Everybody in the world called him a bitch. I tried to call him to give him my condolences, he didn’t pick up for me.

“Everybody called him a bitch, and who did he hit? Me. That’s what happened.”

A lot of Rock’s anger was also directed towards Pinkett Smith, highlighting her calls to boycott the Oscars amid the #OscarsSoWhite controversy in 2016 – the year that Rock went on to host the show.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Rock said: “She started this shit. Nobody was picking on her. She said that me, a grown ass man, should quit his job because her husband didn’t get nominated for Concussion, and then he gives me a concussion.

“I loved Will Smith. My whole life, I loved Will Smith. He’s made some great movies. I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life. And now I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped.”

He used the last moments of the special to explain why he did not retaliate to Smith’s slap.

Rock said: “Because I got parents, that’s why, because I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.”

Rock also examined a wide range of other topics during the episode, including the Duchess of Sussex, the Kardashians, and the Capitol riot.

Performing in all white with a medallion around his neck, Rock touched on the idea that white men feel they are being edged out of power, and joked that every advert features an interracial couple.

Rock said: “Speaking of commercials, when did Snoop Dogg become Morgan Freeman? I saw a commercial the other day, Snoop was selling reverse mortgages.

“I love Snoop. I’m not dissing Snoop. The last thing I need is another mad rapper.”

He later made a joke about Jay Z, adding: “By the way that is not a Jay Z diss, I do not need another rapper mad at me. I don’t need that smoke.”

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.