Comedian Chris Rock returned to the stage yesterday for the first time since being slapped by Will Smith during the Oscars, and received loud applause from the audience in Boston, the Associated Press and BTA reported.
Rock touched on the slap briefly, saying he still made sense of what happened Sunday and did not mention Smith’s name.
“Apart from the weird incident, life is pretty good,” Rock said at one point in the middle of his performance. The nightly performance in Boston took place just three days after Smith hit the comedian for a joke on his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock was dressed entirely in white for his performance and looked almost embarrassed by the numerous applause he received, according to the AP. The applause lasted for minutes and the fans shouted: “I love you, Chris!”. The comedian looked emotional, a guest sitting near the stage told the Associated Press.
“How was your weekend?” Rock joked before starting his performance.
Ticket prices jumped after the confrontation at the Oscars, but yesterday the comedian made it clear that he will not talk at length about it.
“If you came to hear this, I … I have a whole show that I wrote before this weekend,” Rock said.
People in the audience shouted their support for the comedian. At least one man shouted that Rock should judge Smith.
American actor Will Smith has already apologized to the host of the Oscar ceremony Chris Rock, who was slapped on stage. Smith described his behavior as “unacceptable and unforgivable”, and apologized to the US Film Academy and viewers, news agencies reported.
At the 94th prestigious film awards ceremony, Smith punched the host in the face after he joked with Smith’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith, who suffers from alopecia, hair loss.
