Chris Rock Hosted Netflix’s First Live Stand-Up Special
About a year has passed since “the slap” was the talk of the nation, if not the whole globe.
Of course, the incident in issue had Hollywood actor Will Smith slapping presenter Chris Rock at the 2017 Academy Awards after the latter made a joke about his wife. Smith smacked Rock in the face and said, “Keep the name of my wife out of your f***ing lips!”
Rock retaliated on Saturday by hosting Netflix’s first live stand-up special and demonstrating to Smith and the rest of the world what happens when you smack a well-known comic. The comedy show should have been called “Rock’s Vengeance” instead of “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.”
Rock was obviously angry at Will Smith, and it was obvious who Rock was angry with. The actor’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was also targeted in the program, albeit to a lesser level. Smith yelled angrily at Rock not to mention her by name.
Chris Rock was trending on Twitter after the program, and with good reason. Smith assaulted the comic in front of the entire globe, and the comedian responded wonderfully and at times aggressively. The three-time Grammy Award-winning comedian teased that he would talk about the event when he said, “People often say, ‘Words hurt.’… Anybody who claims that “Words hurt” has never received a hit to the face. He then riffed on many subjects, such as racism, abortion, addiction, and “wokeness.”
Rock truly came to life in the last ten minutes of the performance. “You all know what happened to me, getting smacked… ” he said at the beginning of the part. and individuals inquire, “Did it hurt?” Even now, it aches! “Summertime” keeps ringing in my ears!” (Rock was alluding to Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s 1991 smash track “Summertime”). I’m not a victim, sweetie,” the comic argued. You won’t ever see me sobbing on Gayle or Oprah, he said, adding that he “took that hit like Pacquiao.”
That’s right, Rock didn’t complain about getting slapped; to make up for it, he worked on a comedy set that would air as a hugely successful Netflix special.
Indeed, he did. Rock flitted around that stage like a butterfly while stinging Smith like a bee, much like Muhammad Ali (the character Smith played in the movie “Ali“). He first won over the crowd by emphasizing how much larger Smith is than he is: “This guy films while wearing no shirt!” Rock laughed. You’ve never seen me perform in a film without a shirt on, I said, adding that if I’m having open heart surgery in a film, I put one on.
He then provided some background information, telling the audience that Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith had made it known in public that she had cheated on him with a friend of their son. Rock mentioned a number of individuals, including “The View” presenters and well-known rappers, who had made fun of Smith for this disclosure. Everyone was talking about it, he claimed.
“Everybody! Everyone,” the joker exclaimed. “Who does he hit, then? Me!”
“I cheered for Will Smith my whole life,” the former “Saturday Night Live” cast member said, adding that he had once “liked” Smith. But everything has changed since the smack.
How come you didn’t do anything back that night? is a question that Rock has been asked several times since the slap, and he answered it at the end of the special. The comedian said that he had been questioned regularly.
In the closing phrase of his performance, he said, “Because I got parents. You are aware of my parents’ teachings? Not in front of White people, fight. Rock then let go of the microphone as the applauding crowd stood to their feet.
He might have, however, stressed that he was not required to battle Smith. Rock’s actions in his comedy special had to be considerably more upsetting for Smith than if he had smacked the actor at the Oscars, and much more therapeutic for Rock.
Following the slap, Smith went to the stage at the Oscars that year to claim the best actor trophy for his depiction of the father of Venus and Serena Williams in the movie “King Richard,” which was a career high point for him.
The actor said to the crowd as he took the trophy, “Love will make you do insane things. Smith was banned from the Oscars for a decade the following month. However, in July, he published a video in which he expressed his “deep regret” for attacking Rock. There’s no question that Rock gave him newfound regret on Saturday.
One takeaway from the entire incident: Never smack a comic, especially a well-known one. Unless, of course, you want to become the world’s biggest joke.
