Chris Rock finally opens up about Will Smith slap at the Oscars

Cast your mind back to March 2022

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Cast your mind back to March 2022

It's been a few months since the Oscars, which saw Will Smith slap Chris Rock on stage in a moment that shocked the globe.

Will has since apologised for the outburst, which was in defence of his wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, and has been banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years.

It has taken comedian Chris some time to "process" the ordeal, but now he has spoken out about the dramatic turn of events.

The 57-year-old took to the stage during a stand up show over the weekend, alongside Kevin Hart, at the PNC Bank Arts Centre in New Jersey to address the matter and insisted he is over it and doesn't hold any bad blood towards the Hitch actor.

Us Weekly has reported Chris said: "I'm not a victim, motherf***er", on stage."

While the attack hurt Chris, he brushed it off the next day.

He continued: "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face. Yeah, that s**t hurt … But I shook that off and went to work the next day … I don't go to the hospital for a paper cut."

Over the last four months the Grown Ups star has yet to speak out in depth about the moment, though he has previously said he will "talk about it at some point".

Will hit out after the comedian appeared to poke fun at Jada’s shaved head, which is a result of a health condition called alopecia.

The 53-year-old award-winning actor went on to shout at Chris from his seat, and said: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth”.

There has been a mixed response from Hollywood stars, despite Will’s several apologies, both on the night, and in the aftermath of the event, which has seen him resign from the Oscars Academy. 

In one apology, which Will shared on his Instagram account, he wrote: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable. Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”

“I would like to publicly apologise to you Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be.”

Maisie Bovingdon

Maisie is a writer and editor, covering Royal News, Showbiz, Lifestyle content, as well as Shopping Writing and E-Commerce, for print and digital publications, including Marie Claire, Hello!, Fabulous, Mail Online and Yahoo!.