Chris Rock was part of one of the biggest news stories of 2022 earlier this year. The Oscars would have been forgotten if it wasn’t for the Will Smith-Chris Rock slap incident. Chris has since moved on and has addressed this issue here and there via his comedy shows.
Now it appears that Rock has declined the offer to host next year’s Academy Award ceremony. It’s obvious that the ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ star does not want to relieve that environment. Will has since apologized to the 57-year-old comedian via social media and a YouTube video.
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Chris Rock Will Not Be Hosting Next Year’s Oscar
Chris Rock was the talk of the town after Will Smith slapped him at this year’s Oscar for his comments on Jada Smith’s alopecia. While Smith was criticized for his actions, people praised Chris for handling the situation maturely.
But the comedian will not be returning as a host for the 2023 ceremony. According to a report from the Arizona Republic, Rock talked about it in one of his comedy shows in Arizona. He said the Academy asked him to return to host the ceremony for the third time. He has hosted the awards show twice, in 2005 and 2016.
During the show, Rock compared returning to host to returning to the scene of a crime; he referenced the O.J. Simpson murder trial. His wife had left a pair of eyeglasses at an Italian restaurant before she was murdered. Rock said returning to the Oscars would be like asking Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.”
The crowd kept chanting “Talk about it!” to which Chris responded, “He’s bigger than me,” He referenced Smith’s 2001 boxing film on Mohammed Ali. “The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
Read More: Will Smith Reveals If Jada Pinkett Smith Asked Him To Slap Chris Rock
Chris Compared Smith To Convicted Killer Suge Knight After His Apology Video
Last month, Smith issued an apology to Chris via a YouTube video on his official channel. The ‘Men In Black‘ star apologized to Chris and his family for his behavior at the Oscars.
Earlier this month, Chris talked about the apology video on the stage at the Fox Theater in Atlanta as a part of his Ego Death World Tour. He compared the actor to convicted killer Suge Knight.
“Everybody is trying to be a fucking victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody will hear the real victims,” he said. “Even me getting smacked by Suge Smith.”
Rock also talked about how he was back to work after the incident. “I went to work the next day, I got kids,” he said. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
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