Chris Rock, who previously hosted the Oscars in 2005 and 2016, said in a recent comedy show that he was asked to host next year’s awards, even after being slapped by Will Smith on stage earlier this year.
Rock was performing in Phoenix, Arizona on Aug. 28 when he addressed the situation.
According to the Arizona Republic, Rock compared returning back to the scene of a crime to host the Oscars when he referenced the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, saying that the night of Simpson’s ex-wife’s murder began with her leaving her glasses at a restaurant. Rock said returning to the Oscars would be like telling Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant.”
Rock also revealed during the show that he was asked to do a Super Bowl commercial after the Oscars slap, but also turned down the offer.
An audience member wanted him to talk more about the slap, and he referenced Smith’s role as Muhammad Ali in the movie Ali.
Rock said, “He’s bigger than me. The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
On July 29, Smith finally opened up in a YouTube video about the events surrounding that night.
The first question that Smith read aloud was; “Why didn’t you apologize to Chris in your acceptance speech?”
“It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is he’s not ready to talk, and when he is, he will reach out. I will say to you Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”
