Comedian Chris Rock reportedly declined to host the 2023 Academy Awards following the infamous slap he received from actor Will Smith earlier this year.
Rock admitted to rejecting the hosting gig during a comedy show in Phoenix, Arizona, this past Sunday. He also reportedly declined to appear in a Super Bowl commercial.
According to the Arizona Republic, Rock likened him returning to the Oscars for a hosting job would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” in reference to O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife leaving a pair of eyeglasses at the restaurant where Ron Goldman worked prior to her brutal murder.
Rock also reportedly discussed the slapping incident at the Oscars, admitting that Smith’s slap considerable hurt due to the actor’s size.
“He’s bigger than me,” Rock said. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
Rock, however, has always maintained he is “not a victim” of Will Smith’s antics.
In what is sure to be the most baffling and talked about moments of Sunday’s Oscars, actor Will Smith appeared to strike presenter Chris Rock in the face on stage apparently over a joke that Rock told about Smith’s wife. https://t.co/jfMko3lhly
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 28, 2022
In late July, Smith released an apology video that was not well received by the general public.
“Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” Smith said
“There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he added. “There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”
Writing for Variety, Andrew Wallenstein said the video apology essentially torpedoed Will Smith’s rehabilitation climb.
“Something feels very rushed about the production, as if it was actually a first draft of something meant to be more polished and substantial,” wrote Wallenstein. “But instead of being endlessly massaged by his publicists, perhaps the video was snatched from their trembling hands and unceremoniously dumped online.”
“That really shouldn’t be the case,” he continued. “Maybe the understanding types among us could give Smith a pass that he wasn’t able to handle himself as best as possible in the heat of the Oscar moment. But what defies comprehension after all this time is that cooler heads in his camp aren’t prevailing with a more sensible strategy.”
Paul Bois joined Breitbart News in the summer of 2021 after previously working as a writer for TruthRevolt and The Daily Wire. He has written thousands of news articles on a variety of topics, from current events to pop-cultural trends. Follow him on Twitter @Paulbois39
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