Chris Rock’s 2022 Oscar hosting gig turned into the most viral moment the Academy Awards has ever had when Will Smith slapped him on stage. It’s been over four years since the incident that led to Smith being banned by the Academy, and Rock was just asked about how he feels about it now.
The comedian is the writer/director behind one of A24’s upcoming movies, Misty Green. In between talking about his next movie stacked with an all-star cast, here’s what he said about The Oscars Slap:
Hey, man. You know, to answer your question a little bit, I wish nothing would have happened. And also, I don’t want to say anything that takes any attention away from Rosalind and how good she is in this movie. It’s a crazy world. We walk by homeless people. There’s all sorts of shit going on right now. Me having a bad day is not the biggest — it’s not that important.
When Chris Rock hosted the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith were seated near the Dolby Theater’s stage. =Rock made a joke about how he couldn’t “wait to see” her in G.I. Jane – in reference to her shaved head. Smith walked up to the stage and struck Rock before telling the comedian to "keep [his] wife's name out your fucking mouth". Pinkett Smith is bald as a result of a medical condition called alopecia.
In the new Variety interview, Rock was also asked if he’d been asked to host the Oscars since the incident. Here’s how he responded:
When people answer those questions, they’re being disrespectful to the people that got the gig. They have great hosts. Conan O’Brien is amazing. Nikki Glaser is amazing on the Golden Globes. I’m not going to say never, but my time might have passed, honestly.
Rock has been a host a total of six times across three major Hollywood events. He hosted the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) in 1997, 1999 and 2003 before first getting the Oscars gig back in 2005. Then, he hosted the BET awards back in 2014 before the 2022 Academy Awards where the slap happened.
Rock’s new movie Misty Green is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend. And, since it's on the 2026 movie schedule for Oscar season, it’s possible it could be part of the upcoming Academy Awards. Rock said this about possibly returning to the Oscars as the writer/director of Misty Green:
I’m not getting nominated. The only way I’ll go back is if I’m nominated, and I’m not getting nominated. And that’s OK. We’ll deal with that if it happens. Like, let’s manage expectations.
Misty Green is about a talented actress who gets a chance to revitalize her career. It stars Slow Horses’ Rosalind Eleazar in the titular role and features Chris Rock, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick, Topher Grace and Anthony Anderson in the cast.
Chris Rock's new movie comes to theaters on October 9. And, 2027’s Academy Awards will take place on March 14 and be hosted by Conan O’Brien for the third consecutive year.
