will smith chris rock slap

Where to Watch Chris Rock’s ‘Selective Outrage’ Stand Up

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Chris Rock’s new stand-up special “Selective Outrage” was recently released on Netflix and the comedian used the show as an opportunity to fully respond to getting slapped in the face by Will Smith one year ago.

What Happened Between Chris Rock and Will Smith?

At the 94th Annual Academy Awards last year on March 27th, Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith after referring to Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, as “G.I. Jane” in reference to her bald haircut. Pinkett Smith has been public about her years-long struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss, and Pinkett Smith did not seem to receive the joke in jest, as she rolled her eyes at the joke.

However, Pinkett Smith’s husband, Will Smith, went one step further, as in a moment that has been covered and documented by every media source since it took place, he slapped Chris Rock in the face. Since the incident, Smith has publicly apologized to Rock numerous times and also will face a ten year ban from the Academy Awards.

While Will Smith has been public about his regret for slapping Rock, the comedian has been quiet about the subject until now. While Chris Rock has joked about the incident a few times during comedy shows, “Selective Outrage” proves to be the moment Rock chose to air out all of his grievances and feelings toward Will Smith. Rock joked about many other topics in the special. But its ultimate purpose seems to be a response to Smith, and Rock did not hold back.

The Stand-Up Special Is A Netflix-First

This special is also Netflix’s first experiment in live entertainment. The show was broadcast globally without edits and little to no rehearsal. This was seen when Chris Rock botched a key part of one of his jokes. Rather than starting over, he was forced to give his attention to the mistake and move forward.

The live aspect of the special gave an electric sense of realness to Rock’s performance. This further ignited Chris Rock’s impassioned feelings about Will Smith. Delivered with a fierceness, Rock referred to Will as “Suge Smith” in reference to “Suge Knight”, the former CEO of Death Row Records who is currently incarcerated for manslaughter.

Chris Rock also alluded to the idea that Smith was letting out his anger towards his wife Jada on him, due to Jada’s public reveal of an ‘entanglement’ she had with August Alsina in 2020. In the special, Rock stated, “She hurt him way more than he hurt me”. Rock also referred to the slap as “some bitch-ass shit”. He explained that Will Smith is much larger than him and does movies with his shirt off. He jokes, “If I’m in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’ve got on a sweater.”

Rock ended the special with a question he was asked a few times after the incident. “‘Chris how come you didn’t do nothing back that night?’ Cause I got parents, because I was raised,’” he said. “You know what my parents told me? Don’t fight in front of white people.” It appears that Rock said everything he wanted to say during “Selective Outrage”. A source stated that the comedian is “ready to move on”. In response to this, Will Smith called the special “distasteful” and “below the belt” and said “he’s embarrassed and hurt”.

Where To Watch The Special

The special is still available on Netflix and is currently on Netflix’s Top-10 most popular list. The special has been called “emotional, messy, and fierce” as well as “self-deprecating and funny”. The 95th Annual Academy Awards will air on Sunday, March 12th. It appears that the discourse from last year’s show is not over. The internet is once again buzzing due to Chris Rock’s “Selective Outrage”.

Chris Rock Mocks Will Smith During Comedy Special, Twitter Reacts

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Chris Rock just mocked Will Smith during his newest comedy special on Netflix, taking aim at various topics in Smith’s life. Of course, many associate the two primarily with the infamous Oscars slap, in which Rock made a joke about Will’s wife Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband got up and slapped Rock across the face onstage. However, the Saturday night special (March 4) saw the actor make jokes about the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in a lot more areas. For example, he mocked the interview where the couple talked about Jada’s affair, and it resulted in mixed opinions online.

“You all know what happened… Suge Smith [slapped me],” the Hollywood star began. “Everybody knows, everybody f***ing knows. I got smacked at the f***ing Oscars by this motherf***er. And people are like “Did it hurt?” It still hurts. I got Summertime ringing in my ear f***ing drums. But I’m not a victim, you will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying you will never see it, like, ‘I couldn’t believe it and I love Men in Black.’ No, it’s never going to happen… But Will Smith practices selective outrage because everyone that knows what happened, everybody that really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s**t. I didn’t have any entanglements. His wife was f***ing her son’s friend.

Chris Rock Mocks Will Smith

“Now I normally wouldn’t talk about this s**t,” Rock continued. “But for some reason these n***as put that s**t on the Internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that f***ing low down. What the f**k? We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here has been cheated on. None of us have been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television, like ‘Hey, I was sucking somebody else’s d**k, how did that make you feel?’ Why the f**k would you do that s**t?

“She hurt him way more than he hurt me, OK,” he wrapped up. “Everybody in the world called him a b***h. I tried to call the motherf***er and give him my condolences. He wouldn’t pick up for me. Everybody called him a b***h. And who is he hitting? Me, a n***a he knows he can be beat. That is some b***h a** s**t… I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life and now I watch Emancipation just to see him get whooped… A lot of people are like ‘Chris why didn’t you do nothing back?’ Because I got parents that’s why, because I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.” Let us know what you thought of the special in the comments and check out more reactions below.

Twitter Reacts To The Comedy Special

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Adrian Holmes Reveals How Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Affected “Bel-Air”

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Peacock’s reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, titled Bel-Air, was a hit after its debut last year. This year, it returns for a second season on February 23 with a new showrunner, a new supporting cast, and new changes. Adrian Holmes spoke to Deadline about the future of the series. Additionally, he discusses the fallout of what happened after Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal television produce the series as part of Universal Studio Group. So, how did the viral Oscars moment impact the preparation for the show’s second season?

Holmes told Deadline, “Well, there was that thought, but like I said, we have created a lane of our own. We’ve got a fan base that is very loyal. I wasn’t as worried about it, as a lot of people thought.” He continues, saying, “Yeah, I wasn’t too worried about it, to be honest. Most people I spoke to were just like, ‘we love the show. It’s such a great show, and what you’ve done with it is just brilliant and genius.’” Holmes says that “it’s something that we all need. It’s like medicine for the community, for the culture. People tap in and they get to be entertained, but they also learn something.”

Adrian Holmes Speaks

(L-R) Jimmy Akingbola, Cassandra Freeman and Adrian Holmes pose at the after party for the season 2 premiere of Peacock’s “Bel-Air” at NeueHouse on February 22, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

Holmes went on to discuss the importance of the show’s all-around positive narrative. He said, “It’s what the world needs right now. We live in such a sad, dark world, you know? We need as much light as we possibly can. I think our show is that light.” He continues to explain that, “our show was recognized with an NAACP Award for Best Drama. We are the number one streaming show on Peacock with over 9 million subscribers. That’s not a small thing. I really take a lot of pride in that because it’s hard to do. So I pray that we will be around for a long time. To re-imagine an iconic sitcom and for it to have legs is a miracle.”

Therefore, Holmes doesn’t think the event at the Oscars will have an impact on the show’s numbers and viewership. However, the question remiains: did Will Smith show up on set this time around? Holmes had an answer for that, as well. He said, “No, not this season, no. He text messaged me. His presence is definitely felt by all of us. We would’ve loved to have seen him. That would have been a nice surprise. But he has a lot going on and you know, hopefully, we’ll see more of him by God’s grace. We’ll have a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth season and beyond. We’ll get to see him some more.”

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