Chris Rock, back on stage, briefly addresses Will Smith's Oscars slap
CTV
Comedian Chris Rock, returning to the stage Wednesday for the first time since being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars, received several standing ovations at a sold-out show in Boston before he even told one joke.
But Rock only briefly addressed the slap, saying he was “still kind of processing what happened" Sunday. He never mentioned Smith nor his wife by name.
“Other than the weird thing, life is pretty good,” Rock said at one point midway through his first of two sets. The nighttime performances in Boston came just three days after Smith struck the comedian for making a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock wore all white for his performance and seemed to be almost embarrassed by the multiple standing ovations he received. As the applause carried on for minutes — with fans yelling “I love you, Chris!” — the comedian appeared to be getting emotional, a guest seated near the stage told The Associated Press.
“How was your weekend?” Rock joked before getting into his set.