Chris Rock had his first comedy performance since publicly apologizing to Will Smith for slapping him at the 2022 Oscars. During the show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta he told a few jokes about the experience according to People.com .
“Everybody’s trying to be a victim,” Rock said. “If everyone claims to be a victim, then no one will listen to the real victims. Even me getting hit by Sug Smith…I went to work the next day, had kids.” Just for reference, the “Suge Smith” joke is about Suge Knight, the founder and former CEO of the west coast Death Row Record label. Knight has a longstanding reputation for aggressive behavior.
Although Smith issued a video apology for Rock’s slap, the comedian and former Oscars host did not address what Smith said. Deadline reported on July 29 that the actor finally broke his silence about his actions and how they affected not only Chris Rock, but also his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I was clouded by that point. It’s all a blur. I contacted Chris and the message he got back is that he is not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. I’ll tell you, Chris, I apologize. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk,” Smith said.
He continued, “I want to apologize to Chris’ mother. I saw an interview [she] he did, and that was one of the things I hadn’t realized. I was not thinking, but how many people were hurt at that moment. I want to apologize to Chris’s mother, I want to apologize to Chris’ family and Tony Rock in particular. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable. I’ve spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened at that moment. I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can tell you all, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave at that time. No part of me believes that this is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or offense.”
