×

Chris Rock says he won’t talk about the Oscars slap “until I get paid”

By Jamia Pugh Apr 11, 2022 | 3:30 PM


ABC

If fans attending Chris Rock‘s comedy shows lately are hoping to hear what the comedian might say about being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars, they’re in for disappointment.

Those in attendance of his Friday show in Indio, California, were the latest group to be let down, after the 57-year-old entertainer told them right out of the gate that he wasn’t going to talk about the incident. 

“I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid,” Rock joked, according to the Palm Springs Desert Sun. “Life is good. I got my hearing back,” he added.

While it’s unclear what kind of compensation Rock is seeking, he did decide not to press charges against Smith, who stormed the Oscar stage on March 27 and slapped Rock across the face, after the latter made a joke referencing the movie G.I. Jane and Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head. Oscar producer Will Packer told ABC News’ TJ Holmes later that LAPD officers told Rock during the Oscars, “This is battery,” and that he could move forward with pressing charges against Smith, but Rock was “dismissive” of those options and insisted that he was “fine.”

Rock’s first public appearance following the slap was at his sold-out show in Boston the Wednesday following the Oscars. Upon receiving a standing ovation and a warm welcome he told fans he wasn’t prepared to talk about the event and “still processing what went down.” 

“I don’t have a bunch of s*** about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” he said then.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.