It's almost hard to believe, but it's been almost a year since the 2022 Academy Awards. While the Oscars usually includes some viral moments, last year was on another level thanks to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on national television... before winning the Best Actor award. In the months since we've seen the two A-listers handle the viral situation quite differently; Smith has been working on his comeback while Rock has largely been keeping quiet. But the comedian finally has a plant o share his thoughts on the Slap situation, so buckle up.
The Oscars Slap occured after Chris Rock cracked a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair, seemingly unaware that she was suffering from alopecia. This inspired Will Smith to step on stage and slap him, before continuing to yell from his seat. Since then Rock has been pretty tight-lipped about his thoughts on the situation, but according to Page Six that's about to change. Because it'll seemingly be a big part of his upcoming Netflix special Selective Outrage. An insider was quoted by the outlet, saying:
If you were waiting to see Rock on tour address the infamous Will Smith slap situation . . . the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it on his live Netflix stand-up special.
Well, there you have it. While the slap hasn't been the focus of Chris Rock's standup act as he toured over the last year, that seemingly won't be the case when Selective Outrage hits Netflix this weekend. And since he's had a year to both process his feelings and write new material, smart money says that the material about Will Smith is going to hit differently... and probably go viral. Is it the weekend yet?
The news that Chris Rock is finally going to address the Oscars slap is sure to turn heads, especially as Will Smith has been on his comeback journey. And since Selective Outrage is being a live broadcast of the 58 year-old actor debuting this material for the first time, smart money says it's going to be electric. Will Rock pull his punches or go HAM on the recent Oscar winner? Only time will tell.
The timing of Chris Rock's upcoming stand-up special is also notable because the Academy Awards are just a few weeks away. I'm expecting at least a few references to The Slap to happen during the upcoming ceremony. But Rock will get the chance to share his own jokes and material first, which is a smart idea. Clearly the discourse surrounding the Oscars Slap isn't going to slow down anytime soon.
As previously mentioned, Will Smith has been in the midst of his comeback over the last few months. After issuing apologies to Chris Rock and the public, Smith resigned from the Film Academy. Although he's since returned to the spot light with the release of Antoine Fuqua's Emancipation. Only time will tell how things continue to shake out for both Smith and Rock. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
