Will Smith; Chris Rock.Photo: Will Smith/Youtube; MediaPunch/Shutterstock
InChris Rock’s first comedy show afterWill Smithreleased a new video apologizing for slapping him at the 2022 Oscars, the comedian joked about the slap — but didn’t address Smith’s apology.
Hours after Smith’s video apology forslapping the comedianon live television at March’sOscarsceremony, Rock, 57, took the stage at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock added during the show, which is one of several he is performing at the Fox Theatre through Sunday, as part of hisEgo Death World Tour.
In his apology video, theKing Richardactor said, in part, “I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
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Smith, 53, also revealed he received a message back that Rock was “not ready to talk” and would “reach out” when he was.
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Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)
At the March 27 ceremony, before his win for Best Actor, Smith walked onstage and slapped Rock across the face after taking issue with a joke about wifeJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (Jada, 50, lives with alopecia.)
TheFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum explained in a statement days later that the punchline was “too much for me to bear"and he “reacted emotionally.”
Smith, who laterresigned from the Academyand wasbanned from attending their ceremoniesfor the next 10 years, said in his statement, “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris.”
“I was out of line and I was wrong,” he added. “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.”
RELATED VIDEO:Will SmithApologizes to Chris Rock in New Video: “I’m Here Whenever You’re Ready to Talk”
In the time sincethe Oscars, Rock has madebrief jokes at stand-up performancesreferencing the moment, but he hasn’t yet spoken about it in length. He has said he’ll “talk about it at some point” eventually.
In his Friday video, Smith said, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding thecomplexities and nuances of what happened.”
“I’m not gonna try to unpack all of that right now but I can say to you, there was no part of me that thought that was the right way to behave in that moment,” he added.
Reps for Rock have not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment about Smith’s Friday video.
source: people.com
