We knew at the time it happened that the ramifications of Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the Oscars would drag on for a while, but I’m not sure any of us could have predicted how long conversations about The Slap would last. Rock declined to address the issue at its stand-up events, leaving the door open for everyone from Ricky Gervais to Shaquille O’Neal to weigh in on what happened…and what will happen next. Well, following a call from Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, to Chris Rock and Smith to ‘talk about it and reconcile’ the old SNL star and mainstream comedian has made his feelings known. Basically, Smith shouldn’t be sitting next to his phone.
While Chris Rock remains silent on the matter – at least in the public eye – a source close to Rock said AND online what follows:
He is not involved with the Smiths at this time. He’s on tour and he’s getting ready for a comedy special.
As well he should. One of the healthiest ways to work at a very public event like this would be to keep working. And for Chris Rock, luckily he had a comedy tour on his schedule after the Oscars, so he was able to get right back into his comfort zone of being on stage and cracking jokes. And hopefully not get hit by an audience member for the words they use.
So many curious viewers paid close attention to Chris Rock’s first show after the Oscars, wondering if he would approach The Slap in any way. And while Rock was dancing widely on the whole topic, promising that he’s mostly waiting to talk about it “until I get paid”, it’s up to the Smiths to stay on the defense and explain Will Smith’s actions.
The impromptu slap cost Smith dearly. The Bad Boys star resigned from the Academy in the aftermath of the controversy, and several projects he was working on were scrapped, although Sony still swears that bad boys 4 remains in pre-production. These delays may give Will Smith time to pursue the self-imposed “spiritual journey” he claims he is on. Even in the explanation that Jada Pinkett Smith gave during her Red Table sessions, she explains that she and Will continue to understand this thing called life. Aren’t we all, Jada?
Chris Rock might be leaning his hand in what his future plans might be. If he’s really smart (and Chris Rock definitely is), he plans a high profile type of interview — get Oprah Winfrey on the phone — and he pays for that conversation. We would all pay top dollar to finally, officially, hear Rock’s response to Will Smith’s slap in the face. Or, if he continues to work The Slap references into his stand-up, he could end up with another hour of material that could fuel a second stand-up special, in addition to the one he currently brings with him on tour. . For now, the ball is in Rock’s court. We’ll see how he plays it.