Chris Rock Will Only Talk About The Slap If He Gets Paid

As you've probably heard by now, the comedian was slapped by Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars after referring to the actor's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as "G.I. Jane" due to her shaved head. For his part, Rock reportedly didn't know about Pinkett Smith's alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. However, his joke caused Smith — who later went on to win "Best Actor" for his role in King Richard — to walk on stage and slap him in the face during the awards broadcast before telling him to "keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth," leading to ample online debate over who was in the wrong.

Following The Slap, Smith publicly apologized to Rock and his fellow nominees for reacting "emotionally" to the joke in a statement posted to his Instagram, writing that he regretted what happened and was "embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be."

“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong," the actor said before adding, “There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness."

In response to the televised assault, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launched a formal investigation into the incident and condemned Smith's actions by confirming they'd "continue to move forward with our disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct."

Smith later went on to resign from the Academy as well, meaning he would no longer be able to participate in Oscars voting or attend any academy events, though he can still be nominated for an award. The Academy has also since banned Smith from all events for the next 10 years.

While Rock — who declined to press charges against Smith — has continued to stay relatively quiet about the incident, he did tell previously fans at his Comedy Cellar set in NYC to "lower your expectations," because he was "not going to address that shit.” That said, the Desert Sun is reporting that Rock's now changed his tune and is saying he'll talk about the altercation, but only if payment's involved.

“I’m OK. I have a whole show, and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” he said during his recent comedy show at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA,. He then went on to joke that "life is good" and that he finally "got [his] hearing back," though he didn't specify how much he was asking.

Read the Desert Sun's full report here.

Photo via Getty / Al Seib /A.M.P.A.S