by Chris Rock joked during a live special on Netflix on Saturday that Will Smith’s Summertime was ringing in his ears after the Best Actor winner infamously beat him at last year’s Oscars.
Rock, who’s been relatively quiet about “The Slap,” opened up about a year after his joke about Smith’s infamous hit, which was aimed at Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock joked during his “Selective Outrage” special that he “took that shit like” Manny Pacquiao after the slap.
“People say, ‘Did it hurt?’ I had ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” said Rock, who addressed the slap at length more than an hour after his special.
Rock, who has stated that he is not a victim, covered a range of topics in his special, including “Awakening”, politics, the January 6 attack and his love life.
He also examined Smith’s career in Hollywood in a joke, including his “shirtless” appearance in films, noting that unlike him, he was a “big guy.”
“If you see me in a movie that has open-heart surgery, I’ll put on a sweater,” Rock said.
He continued: “Will Smith play Muhammad Ali do you think I auditioned for it? I played Pookie in New Jack City. I played a piece of corn. Even in animated movies, this motherfucker is bigger. I’m a zebra, he’s a shark.”
Rock also shed light on the “entanglement” discussion between Smith and his wife, in which Pinkett Smith opened up about a relationship with August Alsina during a 2020 Red Table Talk episode.
“His wife fucked her son’s boyfriend. Normally I wouldn’t talk about this shit… Nobody was ever interviewed by the person who cheated on us on TV. Why the hell are you doing this shit?” asked Rock.
“She hurt him a lot more than me. Everyone in the world called him a bitch. I tried to call the motherfucker, I tried to call this man and give him my condolences… Everybody called him a bitch, and who did he hit? Me.”
Rock later took a stab at Smith, despite praising his work in Hollywood.
“I’ve rooted for Will Smith my whole life and now I’m watching ‘Emancipation’ just so I can see the acclaim he gets,” Rock said.
He then commented on the idea that “words hurt,” subtly linking Smith’s punch to his bit.
“Someone who says ‘words hurt’ has never been slapped in the face. Words hurt when you write them on a rock,” joked Rock.
He also referenced rapper Snoop Dogg, but promised he wouldn’t diss the famous West Coast artist.
“The last thing I need is another crazy rapper,” he joked.
Rock’s special comes nearly a year after Smith’s actions led to an apology and his subsequent resignation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in addition to a 10-year ban from its events.
Rock’s Special is scheduled to be available on Netflix after its live screening on Saturday.
