Chris Rock has made it clear that he is not accepting Will Smith's apology for attacking him at the 2022 Academy Awards.
Smith stirred controversy on March 27, after he walked onto the stage at the Oscars and hit Rock in the face for making a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
In July, Will Smith made a public apology, saying in a YouTube video that he was "ready to talk" whenever Rock was ready. The comedian chose not to address the apology video — until Saturday when he slammed Smith during a stand-up show with Dave Chappelle at London's O2 arena.
Taking to the stage, Rock called out Smith, saying "f**k your hostage video," according to Deadline staff who were in the audience.
"Yes that s**t hurt," Rock said about the altercation during his Saturday appearance. "He [Smith] played Ali. I can’t even play Floyd Mayweather."
Deadline noted that Rock referred to Smith as "Suge Smith," which is a nod at the Death Row Records music executive who is currently serving a 28-year jail sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Rock then pointed out that he was back at work the day after the attack and that he was not a victim.
Rock was followed by Chappelle, who also addressed the ordeal during his own performance saying that he did not know what his response would have been if Smith had hit him onstage at the Oscars, but was certain the actor would not have "enjoyed the rest of his night" at the awards show, according to Deadline. He ended his set by saying that Smith "did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years."
"I just hope he doesn’t put that mask back on," Chappelle added.
In his video apology, Smith noted that he had reached out to Rock following the Oscars incident but "the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out."
"So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you," Smith, who resigned from the Academy and was banned from attending ceremonies for 10 years, added. "My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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