As fans, celebs, news outlets around the world and even Will Smith have weighed in on the Oscars night smackdown, there’s one person who has been noticeably silent until now — Chris Rock.
On Wednesday night (March 30), Rock made his first public appearance since being physically assaulted by the Best Actor recipient at the 94th Academy Awards.
Rock had been scheduled for his “Ego Death World Tour” comedy shows before hosting the distinguished event and at his Boston stop on Wednesday night, he began by asking the crowd, “So, how was your weekend?”
In audio from the show, it’s clear that Rock received an extremely warm welcome from the crowd, most probably expecting the comedian to have a ton of material on the newsworthy topic, but Rock mentioned that he had written his material before the slap took place.
As the show continued, Rock went on to tell the audience, “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
On March 27, while hosting the Oscars, Rock made an on-stage joke in which he essentially compared Jada Pinkett Smith to G.I. Jane in reference to her shaved head. Pinkett suffers from the hair loss disease alopecia and did not find his joke amusing, which prompted her husband Smith to take action. It is not yet clear if Rock knew that Pinkett suffered from the disease.
Since the incident, Rock has declined to press charges, but The Academy has opened a formal investigation and is prepared to take action.
“At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct,” The Academy said in a March 30 statement.
In addition to Rock’s current world tour, which has seen a significant increase in sales, Rock also has a series of dates with fellow actor and comedian Kevin Hart for their “Rock Hark: Only Headliners Allowed” tour, which kicks off July 21.