Chris Rock is slapping back. He will hit back the way he does best – on stage.
After infamous slapping incident at last year’s Oscars, the standup comic could finally get his final word when he is set to perform a live standup special on Netflix on March 4.
While Rock has alluded to this incident in his stand-up performances over the past year, he’ll address it at greater length for the first time.
Rock was attacked on stage while presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that referenced the 1997 film “G.I. Jane” in which actress Demi Moore shaved her head.
It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Pinkett Smith has a condition that causes hair loss.
Rock barely spoke about the slap during his Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour, which took place in the immediate aftermath.
The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Rock workshopped the material for the special in January during an arena show in Charleston, where he was with Dave Chappelle. Dressed in all white, he addressed the now-infamous moment with Smith about a third of the way through his set, according to a source in attendance who spoke with CNN. Rock talked about collective outrage after the Oscars incident and made several jokes.
“The thing people wanna know … did it hurt? Hell yeah it hurt. He played Muhammad Ali! I played Pookie (in ‘New Jack City’). Even in animated movies I’m a zebra, he’s a f—ing shark. I got hit so hard, I heard ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears,” Rock joked, according the source.
On Monday, it was reported that Netflix has added pre-and post-show special to the Rock event, with appearances by Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, David Spade, Dana Carvey, JB Smoove and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
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