Chris Rock made a joke about being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars after Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage.
Dave was performing at the Hollywood Bowl theatre on Tuesday night as part of the Netflix Is A Joke festival when a man ran onto the stage and tackled him.
Chris, who performed at the event earlier in the night, grabbed the mic on stage moments after the attack and asked the crowd: “Was that Will Smith?”
Dave Chappelle was attacked while performing at the Hollywood Bowl tonight
Chris Rock came on stage after and said, “Was that Will Smith?” 😂
(via @WashNews)pic.twitter.com/hpmL6gwNbj
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) May 4, 2022
The comedian was referring to the now infamous moment Will slapped him at the 94th Academy Awards back in March.
Chris presenting the Best Documentary Oscar when he made a joke about the Men In Black star’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, apparently alluding to her bald head by calling her “G.I. Jane”.
After Chris made the joke, Will stormed onto the stage, slapped Chris across the face and warned him: “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!”
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock in the face at the #Oscars last night after he made a “GI Jane” joke about his wife Jada.
The comedian was referring to the actress’s bald hair, despite Jada previously revealing this was due to alopecia 😬 pic.twitter.com/H6HO1xMNGF
— Goss.ie (@goss_ie) March 28, 2022
Will later apologised for his actions in a statement shared to Instagram.
He wrote at the time: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behavior 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.”
The actor continued: “I would like to publicly apologize 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. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
“I would also like to apologize to the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world. I would like to apologize to the Williams Family and my King Richard Family.”
“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us. I am a work in progress. Sincerely, Will.”
