Post slap-gate, Chris Rock apparently declined to host Oscars 2023
After the infamous "slap-gate" incident at the Oscars this year, comedian Chris Rock revealed that he declined the offer to host the Academy Awards 2023. He made the revelation while taking part in a standup comedy show on Sunday at the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. Rock also reportedly compared going back to hosting the Oscars to returning to a murder scene.
Why does this story matter?
Actor Will Smith slapped Rock on stage earlier this year when the latter was hosting the Oscars ceremony. Smith reacted after Rock cracked a joke about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her medical condition. Following the incident, Smith issued public apologies twice. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) also banned Smith for the next 10 years.
Here's what Rock said about hosting Oscars 2023
Rock made a reference to the 1995 murder trial of OJ Simpson. He stated that if he goes back to hosting the Oscars, it would be like "asking Nicole Brown to go back to the restaurant where she left her eyeglasses before she was killed." Rock also claimed that he was offered to take part in a Super Bowl commercial, which he turned down.
What happened at the 94th Academy Awards?
Smith walked to the stage when Rock was hosting the 94th Academy Awards and smacked him on the face when he made a joke about Pinkett Smith's bald head, which is due to her medical condition. Before smacking Rock, Smith told Rock to keep his wife's name "out of his fu**ing mouth." Minutes after the smack, Smith was announced as the Best Actor.
'I was out of line and I was wrong'
Later that night, Smith issued an apology to Rock and the Academy on social media. He wrote, "I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. 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."
