Will Smith’s public apology video, which he posted on social media months after slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, has piqued Chris Rock’s interest. Rock, 57, responded to Smith’s apology by saying “f*** your hostage video” during a performance with Dave Chappelle at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday evening, according to Deadline. Rock was referring to a video Smith released in late July in which he apologized for slapping him during the March Academy Awards broadcast. The comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, oblivious to the fact that she suffers from alopecia. Smith, 53, who would later accept the Academy Award for Best Actor that night, cursed at Rock before storming the stage and smacking him.
Rock continued with a line from his tour, saying, “Yes, that s*** hurt.” “He played Ali,” Smith said, referring to his portrayal of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali in the 2001 film Ali. “I can’t even compete with Floyd Mayweather.” During his turn at the microphone, Chappelle joked that Rock had “upstaged” him that night by making a joke about Jaden Pinkett Smith. He told the London audience that he would not
have “enjoyed the rest of his night” if the actor had slapped him onstage during the awards show. Chappelle added that he never knows if a crowd is hostile because of his own personal experience with being attacked onstage.
“That was some scary s***,” he said of the incident during his May performance. Rock claimed last week, during a performance of his stand-up show in Phoenix, Ariz., that he was approached to host the Oscars next year but declined. “Rock compared returning to the Oscars to returning to the scene of a crime, referencing the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, whose ex-killing wife began with her leaving a pair of eyeglasses at an Italian restaurant,” according to The Arizona Republic. Returning to the award ceremony, Rock said, would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.”
In the apology video, King Richard said he tried to contact Rock in the months following the incident but had no luck speaking with the comic directly.“I contacted Chris, and the response was that he is not yet ready to talk, but that he will reach out when he is.” So, Chris, please accept my apologies,” Smith said. “My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m available to speak with you whenever you’re ready.”
Smith does have ex-wife Sheree Zampino on his side, with whom he shares 29-year-old son Trey. The frequent Real Housewives of Beverly Hills guest star stated that she supports Smith no matter what happens to him. “I rode with him!” she exclaimed last week to Page Six. Even so, watching the incident unfold on television was “surreal.”
“At first, I thought it was a skit, but once I realized it was real, I thought, ‘I’m not even going to deal with this because it’s his night,'” she explained. “When he came over, we were supportive and lavished him with affection.” Will is always in command and gracious, so the entire situation was foreign to me. You don’t see him get upset very often. ” Having said that, Zampino believes it is time to move on from the Oscars incident. “He has apologized, and he has accepted responsibility and accountability,” Zampino added. “I’m not sure what happened at the time. I would not inquire. He is free to share that information. if he so desires. But he has a family who adores him, rides for him, and cheers him on. He is permitted to be human. “