A year after being slapped by Will Smith, comedian Chris Rock hits back on Netflix

A year ago, the slap that Will Smith had slapped him in front of a worldwide audience had flabbergasted. On Saturday, American comedian Chris Rock finally fought back, unleashing his blows in a stand-up number broadcast on the Netflix platform.

In March 2022, the American actor took to the stage at the Oscars and punched the comedian who had just made fun of the very short haircut of his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia. A few minutes later, Will Smith received the Oscar for best actor for his role in “King Richard”. He then apologized with Chris Rock, but was banned from the Oscars for a decade.

The comedian refused to file a complaint and has kept almost total silence on the incident since. But on stage Saturday in Baltimore, he went off the rails, accusing the Hollywood star of “selective outrage”, and claiming he went after a man shorter than him because he was upset that his wife cheated on him.

“I have supported Will Smith all my life”

“Will Smith practices selective outrage,” Chris Rock said during this live-streamed show on Netflix. The comedian said Smith was widely mocked after an episode of his wife’s podcast in which the couple opened up about their affair and how it affected him.

” Why do that ? he asked. “They called his wife a predator. Everyone called him a bitch,” he said, noting that he tried to offer his condolences after news of the affair became public.

“People ask (me) It hurts ? It still hurts, ”he said, referring to the slap received. “Will Smith is significantly taller than me. Will Smith played the role of Muhammad Ali in a film. You think I auditioned for this? “, he launched.

The comedian, who sometimes seemed angry during his show, said that before the slap, he had always liked Will Smith, first as a rapper and then as an actor. “He had made great films. I’ve supported Will Smith all my life,” but now he’s said he’s siding with the slave master who beats Will Smith’s character in his latest film, “Emancipation.”