Chris Rock made a surprise appearance at the iconic Comedy Cellar in New York City on Tuesday night, just weeks after infamously being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars. At the start of his set, Rock reportedly informed the crowd that he would not be addressing the incident.
“He literally only addressed it as the crowd was going wild for his surprise appearance, and he got on stage and said, ‘Lower your expectations. I’m not going to address that s–t,’” a source in the audience told Page Six.
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Tuesday wasn’t the first time Rock has performed since the slapping incident. Performing at a venue in Boston recently for his Ego Death tour, he shut down a heckler who yelled out “fuck Will Smith.”
Smith had slapped Rock for comparing his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, to a character on G.I. Jane.
Rock’s brother, Kenny, recently discussed the slap during an interview with the Los Angeles Times
“It eats at me watching it over and over again because you’ve seen a loved one being attacked and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Kenny told the outlet. “Every time I’m watching the videos, it’s like a rendition that just keeps going over and over in my head. My brother was no threat to him and you just had no respect for him at that moment. You just belittled him in front of millions of people that watch the show.”
[Via]