Chris Rock has spoken for the first time at length about the blow he received from Will Smith at last year’s Oscars. The comedian made it clear in a live comedy special on Netflix that the blow hurt.
“You know what people say. They say words hurt,” Rock said. “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.”
The comedian also said that people often ask him if the blow hurt. “It still hurts! I’ve had the song ever since Summertime in my head,” he joked, referring to Smith’s 1991 hit of the same name.
Will Smith not welcome at the Oscars
Smith stormed onto the Oscars stage last year when Rock made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, who suffers from alopecia. Smith apologized afterwards. He’s not welcome at the Oscars for years to come.
At the start of his new show, Rock referenced the blow by saying he wanted to do his performance “without offending anyone.” “Because you never know who might be triggered.”
Rock made multiple comments on the show about people calling themselves victims and seeking attention. “I’m not a victim. You’ll never see me cry on Oprah. Not gonna happen. I took the punch like boxer Manny Pacquiao. Did it hurt? Yeah, motherfucker, it hurt.”
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