Chris Rock continues to play down the animosity between himself and Will Smith, following the duo’s much-discussed altercation at the Oscars last weekend. In the wake of the King Richard actor slapping him on stage after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, Rock reportedly shut down fans yelling disparaging comments about Smith during his latest comedy show.
As per People, Chris Rock returned to The Wilbur Theater in Boston on Thursday night for the second night of his current stand-up run, which he began the evening before. However, the event took a turn when one audience member yelled out “F— Will Smith!” during the set. Rock quickly quietened the heckler, though. “No, no, no, no, no…” he said, before continuing with the act.
People notes that, at the previous night’s show, attendees had similarly started “Will Smith” chants, although Rock chose to ignore those. On the Wednesday routine, the star broke his silence on The Slap, admitting that he’s still “processing” what happened and will talk more about his feelings on it publicly once he’s had some time to come to terms with it.
Still, one thing Rock seems to have made his mind up about is that he doesn’t wish to press charges against Smith. While that kept the Men in Black veteran out of trouble with the police, it hasn’t stopped the Academy from starting an investigation into his actions, which may end up with Smith losing his Best Actor award and being kicked out of the Academy.
Smith, for his part, has apologized for his violent outburst. At least on social media — it’s believed that Smith and Rock have yet to exchange words personally since the event. Sean “Diddy” Combs claimed the pair had, but People writes that Combs only spoke with both parties separately.
In the wake of The Slap, tickets for Chris Rock’s upcoming Ego Death tour have gone through the roof, while Will Smith’s reputation among his peers has taken a serious hit.
