Comedian and actor Chris Rock has spoken out about being hit by Will Smith at last year’s Academy Awards ceremony.
“I’m a not a victim, baby,” Rock said, who called Smith “Suge Smith,” a reference to notorious, hip-hop mogul Suge Knight. “You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it. Never going to happen.”
Rock addressed the altercation during his comedy special “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.” The 58-year-old comedian closed his set by discussing the now infamous Oscars moment between him and Smith, adding that he turned down interviews to discuss the incident.
Rock also poked fun at Smith’s marriage to actress Jada Pinkett Smith, referencing Pinkett Smith’s confession in 2020 that she was involved in an “entanglement” with another man while still married to Smith.
“I did not have any entanglements,” Rock said during Saturday’s special. “She hurt him way more than he hurt me.”
“I love Will Smith,” Rock added. “Now I watch ‘Emancipation’ just to see him get whooped.”
Smith, 54, infamously went on stage and slapped Rock during the awards ceremony after the comedian made a disparaging joke about Pinkett Smith’s hair. Pinkett Smith, the host of Facebook’s Red Table Talk, has been vocal about her struggles with alopecia, an auto-immune disease that causes hair loss.
Smith was placed on a 10-year ban from attending any Academy event as a result of his altercation with Rock.
Smith issued a public apology to Rock, saying in a previous Instagram post that his behavior was “unacceptable.” and that he reached out to Rock to mend fences.
The Associated Press contributed with this report.