Chris Rock to address Will Smith slap in live Netflix special material
Chris Rock’s slapping back.
After mostly staying mum for a year about being egregiously slapped by Will Smith at last year’s Oscars, the standup comic could finally get the final word Saturday night.
And we hear it’ll be a doozy.
A source exclusively tells us, “If you were waiting to see Rock on tour address the infamous Will Smith slap situation . . . the comedian is waiting to spill his humorous take on it on his live Netflix stand-up special.”
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The source added that Rock has decided to address it during his stand-up special Saturday in Baltimore, when “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage” streams live from the Hippodrome Theatre.
The Oscars are back on Mar. 12.
The source said that the tough part for Rock has been how to test out the material while keeping it under wraps.
Said an insider, “Most stand-ups like to test out their material in smaller clubs before they tape a special,” but Rock “relied on the help of veteran comedy writers to run his jokes by to make sure they were tweaked, solid and funny.”
Another insider added that the material wouldn’t dominate Rock’s show, but, “People need to tune in till the last joke, they will not be disappointed.”
On Monday, it was reported that Netflix has added pre- and post-show specials to the Rock event, with appearances by Amy Schumer, Jerry Seinfeld, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, David Spade, Dana Carvey, JB Smoove and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
ock initially refrained from mentioning the slap on his recent “Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour” — but then sprinkled in some material at various gigs.
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He said on a tour stop in July after Smith posted a video apology to him, “Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face.” Rock also told a UK crowd of the incident: “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.”