New Delhi: Comedian Chris Rock has reportedly declined the offer to host Oscars 2023 following the slap controversy earlier this year. The controversy sparked when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage while he was hosting the 94th Academy Awards. According to the Arizona Republic, Chris Rock made a few jokes about going back to host the Oscars during a comedy show.
During the show in Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona, Chris compared hosting the Oscars with returning to a crime scene, referring to the popular O.J. Simpson case. While discussing the hosting offer, Chris Rock said, that it would be like asking the late Nicole Brown Simpson “to go back to the restaurant” where her mother had left a pair of glasses the night of her death.
While hosting the Oscars 2022, Chris made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s hairstyle. At the moment, he did not know about the medical condition that led to it. Will Smith got up and went to slap Chris on stage. However, Smith has apologised for it twice and is banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.
Talking about Will Smith, Chris Rock said, “He is bigger than me. The state of Nevada would not sanction a fight between me and Will Smith.”
Will Smith shared an apology note in March and share a video in July talking about the incident. In the video, Smith told that he tried to reach out to Rock, but he was not ‘ready to talk.’ Further, he apologised and said, “My behaviour was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk.”
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In the same Oscars ceremony, Will Smith won the award for Best Actor for his movie ‘King Richard’.