Chris Rock still hasn’t said how it feels to get slapped by Will Smith, but he still makes passing jokes about the incident.
The comedian was on stage in Atlanta Friday night as part of his “Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour,” hours after Smith posted a nearly six-minute video in which he said he was “deeply sorry” for slapping Rock during at the Academy Awards in March.
The Rock has made slight nods to the slap in comedy shows in the months since, but hasn’t spoken about it publicly. He took the same approach during his presentation on Friday.
“Everybody’s trying to be a fucking victim. If everybody claims to be a victim, then nobody’s going to hear the real victims,” Rock said. “Even if I got hit by Shuge Smith … I went to work the next day, I’ve got kids.”
He later joked, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
Smith stormed the stage and slammed Rock after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, who suffers from alopecia.
In the video posted on his social media accounts, a solemn Smith begins with an on-screen message: “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and personal work over the past few months… You’ve asked a lot of fair questions that I wanted to take a moment to answer.” it says in it.
Smith sighs, then gives his thoughts on a controversy that has made headlines around the world and tarnished his image.
He explains why he didn’t apologize to Rock during his acceptance speech for winning the Oscar for best actor in King Richard.
“I was in a daze from that moment,” he says. “It’s all a blur.”
Smith says he tried to contact Rock, but he indicated he wasn’t ready to talk and would be in touch when he was ready.
“So I’ll tell you, Chris, I apologize. My behavior was unacceptable and I’m here when you’re ready to talk.”
Smith also apologized to Rock’s family, including his mother, family and brother Tony Rock, who starred in the 2007 sitcom All of Us, created by the Smith family.
“We had a great relationship,” Smith says. “Tony Rock was my man and that’s probably irreparable.”
Smith also apologized to his wife, their children and his other Oscar nominees.
“Letting people down is my main trauma,” he says. “I hate it when I let people down, so it hurts.”
Smith has a message for his supporters, saying he is committed to “bringing light, love and joy to the world.”
“If you hold on, I promise we can be friends again,” he finishes.
The Academy sanctioned Smith by banning him from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years. Smith also apologized on Instagram in March, calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable.”
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