Chris Rock Finally Opens up About Will Smith and Their Infamous Oscars Moment

Chris Rock has made plenty of jokes about his physical encounter with Will Smith at the Oscars, but the comedian has finally broken his silence on more serious terms. According to The Daily Mail, Rock ditched the “dignified silence” while kicking off his UK tour with Dave Chappelle.

Rock and Chappelle were kicking things off at Liverpool’s M&S Arena, with the former Comedy Central icon asking Rock if “that s-t hurt” when Smith slapped him. “Goddam right… the motherf-er hit me over a bulls-t joke, the nicest joke I ever told,” Rock responded. “Will did the impression of a perfect person for 30 years, and he ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us. Whatever the consequences are… I hope he doesn’t put his mask back on again, and lets his real face breathe. I see myself in both men.”

As most already know and have become exhausted by, Will Smith was banned from the Oscars for ten years after deciding to slap Chris Rock during the live broadcast after joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith. The joke that Rock delivered and called “the nicest” he’s ever told referred to Pinkett Smith’s alopecia and a prospective sequel to G.I. Jane. If you don’t remember the moment, you’re the luckiest person alive and should keep it that way.

For the rest of us cursed with knowledge, the response from Smith’s side has been less anticipated than Rock’s side of the story. His “silence” to this point, barring a few jokes in light of other serious moments, has kept people wondering when the SNL alum would let it out. He makes his living speaking into a microphone with finely tuned comments, many would expect his eventual response to be important.

That said, it has certainly allowed for some great jokes by Rock at the moment’s expense. In between the jokes, the public watched Will Smith accept his ban from The Academy, release a video apology that Rock has not accepted, and returned to social media.

Like Rock says, Smith saw his entire career shift into uncharted territory only a few moments before his greatest achievement. The mask didn’t just get removed, it flew off and still hasn’t come down. But the SNL star has managed to come out on the other side better than ever. He has also made clear where he stands on playing victim or victimhood as presented in the media.

His latest comments came alongside his comments on Smith, and they target Meghan Markle. “I just don’t get it,” Rock said about her continued drama with The Royal Family.