Chris Rock closed his latest comedy special by venting about Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, one year after the Oscars incident.
On Saturday, Rock headlined Netflix's first-ever live-streamed event, a comedy special called Chris Rock: Selective Outrage — a title he revealed to be a connection to Will, 54. Though he said he grew up loving and "rooting for" Will, Rock took time in his routine to slam him and his marriage.
"Will Smith practices selective outrage," said Rock in his stand-up routine, adding of the Oscars slap, "Everybody that really knows knows I had nothing to do with that s---. I didn't have any 'entanglements.' "
Rock was referring to back in July 2020, when Jada, 51, opened up about having an "entanglement" with singer August Alsina years ago while she and Will were on a break. She explained at the time that she and Will eventually were able to repair their relationship, saying at the time, "We have really gotten to that new place of unconditional love."
The couple, who wed in 1997, did an episode of Jada's Red Table Talk show to discuss the situation.
"We all been cheated on. Everybody in this industry has been cheated on," joked Rock in the comedy special, "None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television. None of us. ... Why the f--- would you do that s---? She hurt him way more than he hurt me, okay?"
(Will said in an interview with Gayle King in March 2022 that there has "never been infidelity in our marriage. Never. Jada and I talk about everything, and we have never surprised one another with anything ever.")
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Rock then said that "everybody in the world" called Will a "bitch" after the "entanglement" news, and he said he tried to reach out to him about it but claimed Will didn't pick up. The comedian then went on to repeatedly call Will a "bitch." He then joked, "Everybody. And who's he hit? Me, a n---- he knows he can beat. That is some bitch-ass s---."
The comedian said he "did nothing" to Will, before bringing up when Jada was boycotting the Academy Awards in 2016 during the "#OscarsSoWhite" backlash and called on Rock to not host the show. Will was not nominated for the film Concussion that year. In his Oscars monologue that year, Rock made fun of Jada, saying she can't boycott something she wasn't invited to.
"I did some jokes about her. Who gives a f---? That's how it is: She starts it, I finish it," Rock said. "That's what the f--- happened. Nobody's pickin' on this bitch. She started this s---. Nobody was pickin' on her."
Rock said he didn't react or respond physically at last year's Oscars "because I was raised." He added, "You know what my parents taught me? Don't fight in front of White people." Rock then dropped the mic and got a standing ovation before walking offstage.
Since last year's Oscars incident, Smith has publicly apologized for the outburst and resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which also banned him from attending its events for 10 years.
Jada addressed the Oscars moment during an episode of Red Table Talk back in June, saying her "deepest hope is that these two intelligent, capable men have an opportunity to heal, talk this out and reconcile."
Then, in July, Smith shared a video apology on his social media, shedding more light on that night and explaining that he has tried to reach out to Rock. (Smith also spoke about the Oscars while on his press tour for Emancipation in November, including an emotional interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show.)
He said in his video, "I've reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he's not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out. So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I'm here whenever you're ready to talk."
Chris Rock: Selective Outrage will also be available for streaming on Netflix following the live event.
