Watch: Chris Rock Addresses the Will Smith Slap in Clip From Stand-Up Show

After a few days of silence, Chris Rock finally opened up about what occurred on the stage at the 94th Oscars when Will Smith approached him and slapped him on live television. Rock opened about it during a stand-up show in Boston, scheduled long before the events that took place on Sunday, beginning his set to the audience with a question that prompted laughter, "How was your weekend?" Rock quickly dispelled any notion that he might have a lot of material about what transpired between he and Smith for the show, noting that he's still processing what even happened. Watch the clip for  yourself below!

"I don't have a bunch of sh-t about what happened," Rock told the crowd" So if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I'm still kind of processing what happened. So at some point I'll talk about that sh-t. And it will be serious and funny." Audience members began to shout out potential courses of action for Rock including suing Smith, but Rock didn't address any of this from the crowd, not what he intends to do moving forward.

Earlier this afternoon however came news from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that they have begun "disciplinary proceedings" against Smith for what transpired, citing the Academy's Standards of Conduct. It's unclear what might occur with Smith, who took home the Best Actor award on Sunday night after the incident, but they did note that they "may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct."

Rock declined to press charges against Smith afterwards, according to the LAPD, and Smith issued an apology to Rock over Instagram.   "Violence in all of its form is poisonous and destructive," Smith wrote in a social media post on Monday. "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."

"I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris," he added. "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."

The Academy has announced that a decision on actions to be taken against Smith could come within the next few weeks.

(Cover Photo by Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)  

0comments