Aimee Walker
Chris Rock has broken his silence live on stage after being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars when he made a joke about the actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
The comedian started his Ego Death World Tour at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on March 30 and opened the show to a standing ovation from the audience that ‘lasted almost five minutes’.
According to Deadline, he said: “Let me be all misty and s***. I don’t have a bunch of s*** to say about that, so if you came here for that.
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“I had written a whole show before this weekend. I’m still processing what happened, so at some point, I’ll talk about that s***. It’ll be serious. It’ll be funny.
“But right now I’m going to tell some jokes.”
Apparently, an audience member then shouted: “F*** Will Smith.”
The Daily Mail claims that Rock began the show ‘with tears in his eyes’ and appeared ‘overwhelmed with the audience’s support’.
It comes as Smith has apologised directly to Rock for the incident.
In a statement released on Instagram, the actor said: “Violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. My behaviour at last night’s Academy Awards was unacceptable and inexcusable.
“Jokes at my expense are part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally.”
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It continued: “I would like to publicly apologise to you, Chris. 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 went on to add that he ‘deeply regretted’ that his behaviour ‘stained’ an ‘otherwise gorgeous journey’.
The drama began when Rock referenced Pinkett Smith’s shaved hairdo, saying “Jada, Love you. Can’t wait for Gi Jane 2.”
After the 53-year-old struck the comedian, he told him to: “Keep his wife’s name out of his f***ing mouth.”
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