Will Smith is ’embarrassed and hurt’ by Chris Rock’s controversial Netflix special and wants him to ‘let it go’ – but STILL hasn’t watched comedian’s savage takedown of him and wife Jada
Will Smith is said to be ’embarrassed and hurt’ by Chris Rock’s decision to base a new Netflix special on their notorious clash at the 94th annual Academy Awards.
The pair made ceremonial history for the wrong reasons after Smith marched onstage and slapped Rock across the face for making a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia.
Smith, 54, has since been punished with a 10-year ban from the awards ceremony, while Rock – who was presenting at the event in 2022 – has used the incident as source material for his new stand-up show, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.
Appearing at the Hippodrome Theatre in Baltimore – ironically the city of Pinkett-Smith’s birth – Rock, 58, has debuted a series of stinging rebukes aimed the married couple, among them a comedic monologue inspired by her extra-marital affair with singer August Alsina.
Sources have since told Entertainment Tonight that Smith has been deeply affected by the Netflix special, and is keen for Rock to ‘let it go.’
Incensed: Will Smith is said to be ’embarrassed and hurt’ by Chris Rock’s decision to base a new Netflix special on their notorious clash at the 94th annual Academy Awards
Controversy: The pair made history for the wrong reasons after Smith marched onstage and slapped Rock across the face for making a joke about wife Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia
While reportedly hurt and embarrassed by Selective Outrage, the outlet claims Smith is yet to actually watch it and has instead been informed of its content from those who have.
Rock has accused the Oscar-winner of having ‘selective outrage’ during the show’s finale and added salt to the wound by rehashing Pinkett-Smith’s well documented infidelity.
But a source close to the comedian tells DailyMail.com that it could have been avoided with a simple ‘I am sorry’.
‘Chris never got a one-on-one private apology from Will, only the public one which really meant nothing,’ a source close to the comedian insisted. In fact, Will has only addressed the situation twice – once on Instagram the day after the Oscars and once in a video apology.
But the insider insisted that Rock’s decision to rehash the scandal in his Netflix show had nothing to do with seeking revenge, but was rather a way for the comedian to ‘get it all out’ and ‘be done with it’.
Hitting back: Rock has used the incident as source material for his new stand-up show, Chris Rock: Selective Outrage
Calm before the storm: Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith posed for photographers at the 94th annual Academy Awards, shortly before all hell broke loose
‘Chris wanted to get this out once and for all and be done with it. This was very cathartic to him,’ the source added.
The comedian certainly didn’t hold back when it came to dredging up the slapgate scandal on stage.
Instead, he doubled down on his attack on the A-list couple by bringing up Pinkett-Smith’s admitted affair with her son Jaden’s close friend, musician August Alsini, in 2020.
To a shocked audience, both live and on location, Rock said that Smith had misdirected anger due to the fact that ‘his wife was f***ing her son’s friend.’
And to add insult to injury, his humiliating blowback aired exactly one week before the the 2023 Oscars are set to take place on March 12 – an event that Smith has been banned from attending for the next ten years as a result of his violent outburst at last year’s ceremony.
Shock: Rock looked aghast after being slapped by former friend Smith at the Academy Awards
Takedown: Rock has accused the Oscar-winner of having ‘selective outrage’ during the show’s finale and added salt to the wound by rehashing Pinkett-Smith’s well documented infidelity
The infamous slap occurred in March 2022 when Rock took the stage to present an Oscar for best documentary feature.
Turning to the Smith’s, he said that he was ‘looking forward’ to seeing Pinkett-Smith in G.I. Jane, poking fun at her shaved head.
Smith immediately got up on stage and slapped Chris in the side of his head. After returning to his front row seat, he yelled, ‘Keep my wife’s mother f***ing name out your mouth.’
In the weeks that followed, the actor was forced to resign from the Academy, which subsequently banned him for 10 years.
During his Saturday night standup special, Rock shared his afterthoughts, telling the audience: ‘Anybody that say words hurt has never been punched in the face. But I’m not a victim, baby. You’ll never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying.
‘Everybody called him a b**ch, and who’s he hitting? Me. You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith,’ he joked. ‘It still hurts. I got “Summertime” ringing in my ears.’
Rock then addressed why he didn’t hit Will back, saying: ‘You know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.’
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