The slap heard around the world is still reverberating, both in the media and probably in the emotional psyches of Will Smith and Chris Rock. And while Smith has apologized for slapping the presenter at the Oscars this past weekend, and Jada Pinkett Smith has called for “healing,” Rock has stayed silent so far on the matter. Now that was all about to change, Rock did a stand-up comedy set in Boston last night, but those hoping that Rock would make a massive meal about this now notorious incident were left disappointed.
Variety posted an audio clip from Rock’s sold-out stand-up show in Boston (see below), and as you’ll hear, he didn’t say much. However, while Rock is “still processing” the altercation, the comedian said he’ll eventually talk about it down the line as his new comedy act was written and prepped months ago.
READ MORE: Oscar Co-Hosts Wanda Sykes & Amy Schumer Denounce The Will Smith Slap: “It Was Sickening”
“How was your weekend?” Rock asked the Boston crowd last night. “I don’t have a bunch of shit about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend. I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point, I’ll talk about that shit. And it will be serious and funny.”
Not everyone was happy about Rock not addressing the incident head-on. “Nothing about Will Smith. You guys just wasted all your f*ckin’ money,” an angry audience member who thought they were entitled to hearing jokes about this incident yelled while exiting the show early, according to Rolling Stone.
While Smith has apologized in a public statement, co-host Wanda Sykes, a longtime friend of Chris Rock, shared some choice words while appearing on Ellen earlier in the week.
“I was psychically ill; I’m still a little traumatized by it,” she said. “For them to let him stay in that room and enjoy the rest of the show and accept his award, I was like, ‘How gross is this?’ It’s just the wrong message. If you assault someone, you get escorted out the building, and that’s it, but for them to let him continue I thought it was gross.”
Comedy acts and routines take months to form, and anyone who knows how they work shouldn’t be surprised to hear Rock wasn’t ready to address the controversy yet. Like many other comedians, Rock has been known to workshop new acts by going into smaller clubs unannounced and trying out the material. Given this international incident has been huge news, Rock will unlikely be able to try it out in public, in small clubs, first– the jokes will leak instantly and make headlines. So, be sure that the comedian will address the infamous Oscar slap eventually, but given he probably spent a few months perfecting this new routine, you might need to be patient and wait a good six months at least.