Chris Rockappears to have responded toWill Smith’s apology video.During a comedy set withDave Chappelleat O2 Arena in London on Saturday, the 57-year-old comedian said “f— your hostage video,” in an apparent reference tothe recorded apologySmith, 53, postedto his YouTubeand social-media channels in late July,Deadlinereports.Rock also called theKing Richardactor “Suge Smith” and said “that s— hurt,” according to the outlet, referring to the moment in March where Smith slapped him onstage at the 94thAcademy Awards.“He played[Muhammad] Ali. I can’t even playFloyd Mayweather,” Rock also reportedly said.Reps for Rock and Smith did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)At the March 27 ceremony, before his win for Best Actor, Smithwalked onstage and hit Rock on live televisionafter taking issue with a joke about wifeJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (Jada, 50, lives with alopecia.)The slap led to months of fallout for the Best Actor winner, whoresigned from the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and wasbanned from attending Academy eventsfor 10 years.Smith apologized to Rockin a statement on Instagramthe following day before posting the apology video on his social media accounts July 29, explaining that night and apologizing directly to Rock and his family.“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m herewhenever you’re ready to talk.“Chris Rock.Matt Winkelmeyer/GettyDuring the opening night of his and Rock’s joint UK tour at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, Chappelle, 49, said Smith smacking Rock atthe Oscarswas a “very strange choice,” according to multiple news outlets.He also saluted Rock’s authenticity throughout the years before saying that Smith"did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years,“perDeadline.The Telegraphreported that Chappelle claimed theFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum “ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us,” adding, “Whatever the consequences are … I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe.““A lot of people forget whoWill Smithis. Then 10 minutes before he was about to get the biggest award … he acted like he was back in Philadelphia,” Chappelle said, perThe Telegraph,referencingSmith’s award for Best Actorfor his role inKing Richard,which he accepted just moments after the slap.Once onstage, Rock also addressed the moment, asking attendees, “Did that s— hurt?” according to Deadline. “Goddamn right… the motherf—er hit me over a bulls— joke, the nicest joke I ever told.”
Chris Rockappears to have responded toWill Smith’s apology video.
During a comedy set withDave Chappelleat O2 Arena in London on Saturday, the 57-year-old comedian said “f— your hostage video,” in an apparent reference tothe recorded apologySmith, 53, postedto his YouTubeand social-media channels in late July,Deadlinereports.
Rock also called theKing Richardactor “Suge Smith” and said “that s— hurt,” according to the outlet, referring to the moment in March where Smith slapped him onstage at the 94thAcademy Awards.
“He played[Muhammad] Ali. I can’t even playFloyd Mayweather,” Rock also reportedly said.
Reps for Rock and Smith did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Chris Rock; Will Smith.Getty (2)
At the March 27 ceremony, before his win for Best Actor, Smithwalked onstage and hit Rock on live televisionafter taking issue with a joke about wifeJada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (Jada, 50, lives with alopecia.)
The slap led to months of fallout for the Best Actor winner, whoresigned from the Academyof Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and wasbanned from attending Academy eventsfor 10 years.
Smith apologized to Rockin a statement on Instagramthe following day before posting the apology video on his social media accounts July 29, explaining that night and apologizing directly to Rock and his family.
“I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk, and when he is he will reach out,” Smith said. “So I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable, and I’m herewhenever you’re ready to talk.”
Chris Rock.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
During the opening night of his and Rock’s joint UK tour at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, Chappelle, 49, said Smith smacking Rock atthe Oscarswas a “very strange choice,” according to multiple news outlets.
He also saluted Rock’s authenticity throughout the years before saying that Smith"did an impression of a perfect man for 30 years,“perDeadline.
The Telegraphreported that Chappelle claimed theFresh Prince of Bel-Airalum “ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us,” adding, “Whatever the consequences are … I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe.”
“A lot of people forget whoWill Smithis. Then 10 minutes before he was about to get the biggest award … he acted like he was back in Philadelphia,” Chappelle said, perThe Telegraph,referencingSmith’s award for Best Actorfor his role inKing Richard,which he accepted just moments after the slap.
Once onstage, Rock also addressed the moment, asking attendees, “Did that s— hurt?” according to Deadline. “Goddamn right… the motherf—er hit me over a bulls— joke, the nicest joke I ever told.”
source: people.com
