Will Chris Rock and Will Smith ever make amends?
One year after Will slapped Chris at the Oscars, Chris finally spoke out. He recently did a live Netflix comedy special, Selective Outrage, and addressed Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith. We covered the report; Chris basically said Will’s anger was from his wife’s “entanglement” with August Alsina, and he didn’t diss her.
Chris said, “she hurt him way more than he hurt me.” He also addressed why he didn’t fight back on stage. He said, “a lot of people go, ‘Chris, how come you didn’t do nothing back?’ Because I’ve got parents! That’s why. Because I was raised. You know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people!”
According to a report, Will has unsuccessfully tried to make amends. Daily Mail reports a source said, “Will has felt terrible for so long. He’s tried unsuccessfully to make amends in the best way he could with Chris. But beyond that, family is important to him, and [Smith] leaned on them. It all has helped him look inside and mature. He is better but still remorseful.”
As a result of the slap, Will is banned from the Oscars for ten years. He apologized to Chris in a video.
The Hill reports the Oscars is including a new addition in its awards ceremony following the incident, a crisis communications team. The article notes, “the rapid response team will be present during the March 12 broadcast.” Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer said, “anything can happen at the Oscars.” He said,
“And obviously, depending on the specifics of the crisis — and let’s hope something doesn’t happen and we never have to use these, but we already have frameworks in place that we can modify.”