Chris Rock has publicly addressed being hit in the face by Will Smith for the first time since the incident at Sunday night’s Oscars.
Taking the stage at his sold-out show at Boston’s Wilbur Theatre on Wednesday, the comedian was greeted by a lengthy standing ovation, CNN reported.
“How was your weekend?” he quipped, according to the outlet.
“I don’t have a bunch of shit to say about that,” he reportedly told attendees. “I had written a whole show before this weekend. I’m still processing what happened, so at some point, I’ll talk about that shit. It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny, but right now, I’m going to tell some jokes.”
He then continued with his show, which is part of his Ego Death Tour. The show has seen an uptick in sales since the Oscars incident.
On Sunday, Will hit Chris in the face onstage after the comedian told a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it,” Chris had said, in a reference to her hair, which had been shaved due to her struggles with alopecia.
Will went on to win the Best Actor award for his performance in King Richard and cried as he tried to justify his actions during his acceptance speech. He apologised publicly to Chris the following day.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday that Will was asked to leave the ceremony after hitting Chris but that the actor refused.
The academy said it was initiating disciplinary proceedings against Will for violating its standards of conduct.