Why Chris Rock Refused to Hit Back After the Academy Awards Slap From Will Smith — The Moment People Still Can’t Forget

The moment from the Academy Awards in 2022 is still one of the most talked-about scenes in modern pop culture. Even years later, people still bring up the night when Will Smith walked on stage and slapped Chris Rock during the live broadcast.

At the time, Rock was presenting an award and made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith and her shaved head, which is linked to her alopecia. Smith then walked on stage, slapped him, and returned to his seat while shouting, Keep my wife’s name out of your f**** mouth! The moment shocked viewers around the world and quickly became the main story of the night.

Rock later spoke about the incident in his Netflix special Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, which became a major source for understanding how he felt afterward. During the show he told the audience, Y’all know what happened to me. I got smacked at the f*** Oscars by this mothe*****. He also joked about the pain, saying, People are like, ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.

He made it clear he did not want to be seen as a victim. He said, I’m not a victim, baby. You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle, crying. You will never see it, never gonna happen… I took that hit like Pacquiao. He explained his decision not to fight back in a very direct way. Because I got parents, that’s why. Because I was raised, okay? I’ve got parents, and you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.

Rock also joked about the size difference between them, saying, I know you can’t tell on camera – Will Smith is significantly bigger than me. We are not the same size, okay? Will Smith does movies with his shirt off. You’ve never seen me do a movie with my shirt off.

After the incident, Smith apologized publicly on Instagram, which is the source of his statement. He wrote, I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness. He also received a ten-year ban from Academy events.

Since then, Smith has slowly returned to work and recently found success with Bad Boys: Ride or Die alongside Martin Lawrence. He is also attached to new projects including the sequel to I Am Legend with Michael B. Jordan.

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