If you thought talk about the Will Smith slap incident that took place at the 2022 Oscars back in March was done, think again. The latest person to bring up the now infamous event is none other than the man at the center of it all, Chris Rock.
The comedian and Fargo actor reportedly joked about what happened during a recent comedy show at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, N.J. Per Variety, Rock addressed the incident by assuring fans that despite how bad the optics looked, he’s no victim.
“Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face,” Rock said before later adding: “I’m not a victim, motherfucker. Yeah, that shit hurt, motherfucker. But I shook that shit off and went to work the next day. I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
Later during his set, he also referred to Smith as “Suge Smith,” a clear callback to the infamous Death Row Record CEO Suge Knight.
Of course, this isn’t the first time Rock has joked about the incident. Nearly a month and a half after it happened, he quipped about the ordeal during his set at the Royal Albert Hall in the UK, joking about both his hearing and when audience members could potentially hear him talk at length about what happened on that day.
“I’m okay, if anybody was wondering,” Rock said at the time. “Got most of my hearing back. Don’t expect me to talk about the bullshit. I’ll talk about it at some point—on Netflix.”
As previously reported by The Root, Smith did eventually apologize to Rock and to the Academy before he resigned from the prestigious organization. The Academy later banned Smith for 10 years.