Chris Rock addresses Will Smith slap after apology video: 'Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face'



LILY ROSE

July 30, 2022, 7:09 PM



Will Smith breaks silence on Oscars slap in new video

Will Smith has broken his silence about the regrettable “slap heard around the world,” in which he struck Oscar presenter Chris Rock.

Chris Rock referenced his now infamous Oscars slap during a tour stop in Atlanta, just hours after Will Smith released an apology video.

In March, Smith slapped Rock on stage during the 2022 Academy Awards after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith's lack of hair, comparing her to a character in the movie G.I. Jane. Pinkett-Smith has been outspoken about her struggles with alopecia, which causes hair loss. Rock acknowledged the shocking moment during the Friday performance of his Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour.



Chris Rock referenced the Oscars slap in a new comedy special.

CNN reported that the 57 year old said "everybody is trying to be a f****ing victim."

"If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims. Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith… I went to work the next day, I got kids,” he continued, comparing Smith to Suge Knight, former CEO of Death Row Records who is currently serving 28 years for voluntary manslaughter.

He added, "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face."

Earlier that day, Smith posted a social media video apologizing to the Spiralstar for the slap. The video is titled "It's been a minute" and answers questions about what happened during the March telecast.

"Over the last few months I've been doing a lot of thinking and personal work," reads the title card. "You asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take some time to answer."

During the video Smith shared that he has reached out to Rock, but that Rock was "not ready" to speak.

"Chris, I apologize to you," Smith said. "My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."

He continued, "I want to apologize to Chris's mother," saying he saw an interview she gave about the slap. "That was one of the things about that moment. I just didn't realize ... how many people got hurt in that moment. So I want to apologize to Chris's mother. I want to apologize to Chris's family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable