WASHINGTON: It seemed like comedian Chris Rock was waiting for the moment when he could address Will Smith's Oscar night smackdown of the comedian on the Academy stage last year from a new perspective. Netflix's much-hyped first live special show 'Chris Rock: Selective Outrage!' gave Chris the opportunity as he did not hold back.
Chris took down Smith dragging his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and targeting the couple's marital issues (in which Pinkett Smith acknowledged a relationship with singer August Alsina as the couple addressed their marriage on an episode of Red Table Talk), reported The Hollywood Reporter, a US-based media company.
"Will Smith practices selective outrage," Rock told the audience. "Outrage because everybody knows what the f*** happened. Everybody that really knows, knows that I have nothing to do with that shit. I didn't have any entanglements."
While this is not the first time Rock addressed Smith's slap, Rock's comments were significant as he headlined Netflix's first foray into live programming, a global event that featured a pre-show and post-show with guests that included Arsenio Hall, Amy Schumer, J.B. Smoove, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dana Carvey and others.
"I'm gonna try to do a show tonight without offending nobody," Rock said, kicking off his stand-up special from Baltimore.
"I'm gonna try my best because you never know who's going to get triggered." Rock used the last minute of 'Selective Outrage' to answer the question he's gotten a lot since the Slap: Why didn't you do anything back? "'Cause I got parents," Rock said.
"Cause I was raised. And you know what my parents taught me? Don't fight in front of white people," reported The Hollywood Reporter.
Toward the end of the special, Rock changed his tone a bit, saying, "I loved Will Smith. My whole life, I loved Will Smith. I saw him open up for Run-D.M.C. ... He makes great movies. I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life," Rock said. "And now I watch 'Emancipation' just to see him get whooped."
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