Chris Rock just broke his silence on the Will Smith Oscars slap from Sunday, telling his fans he’s “still processing” the incident.
Chris took the stage at The Wilbur theater in Boston on Wednesday night for his comedy tour, and opened the show by addressing the crowd, who was yelling his name.
“What’s up, Boston?” Chris asked the crowd, before adding: “How was your weekend?!”
He clearly alluded to Sunday’s incident, where Will walked up on stage and slapped him after Chris had made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
“I’m still processing what happened,” Chris told the crowd in Boston. He added he probably would find a more formal way to address what happened at some point in the future, but in the meantime, he had prepared a lot of jokes for Wednesday.
Chris arrived in Boston earlier in the day, wearing a baseball cap and keeping a low profile.
Chris’s statement comes as The Academy announced on Wednesday that they have launched an investigation into the incident and during Sunday’s award ceremony, they did ask Will to leave the show but he refused.
“The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy,” the statement began.
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View Gallery“Consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions, and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response. At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.”
“Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television. Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment. We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.”
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“Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated. While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.”
Will did share an apology of his own on social media earlier in the week, directing his apologies at Chris, himself.
“I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”
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