Chris Rock to Address Will Smith’s Oscar Slap in March 4 Live Netflix Special

Chris Rock appears at the Television Critics Association Winter press tour in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2020. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Comedian Chris Rock is reportedly planning to address the infamous slap during last year’s Oscars through a Netflix special that will stream just a week before the 2023 Academy Awards.

During the 94th Oscars in 2022, Will Smith got on stage and slapped Rock, who was hosting the show, for a joke Rock made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Over the past year, Rock has talked about the incident on brief occasions. During his recent “Chris Rock Ego Death World Tour,” Rock sprinkled in a few jokes about the slap at a handful of gigs, but mostly stayed away from the subject, Page Six reported.

In a live standup special streaming on Netflix on March 4, Rock is expected to finally address the slap, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Netflix special is only a week ahead of this year’s Oscars ceremony, which is scheduled for March 12.

The decision to hold a live event where Rock will explore the incident from his perspective in a comedic manner right before the 2023 Oscars has garnered attention due to its timing. However, Robbie Praw, Netflix’s vice president of standup and comedy formats, told The Wall Street Journal that the timing is only a coincidence.

“It really was a factor of when Chris felt like he was ready and when the technology was ready,” Praw said.

The March 4 show will be the first live show offered by Netflix to its global subscribers.

The special, titled “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage,” will also feature pre- and post-show specials, with celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld, David Spade, and Arsenio Hall making an appearance, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Will Smith (R) hit Chris Rock as Rock spoke on stage during the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif., on March 27, 2022. Brian Snyder/Reuters

Will Smith’s Reaction

Following the slap incident, Will Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences. The academy also condemned the actor for the physical attack. Smith was eventually banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years.

During “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” in November, Smith admitted that he made a mistake by slapping Rock at the Oscars.

“That was a horrific night as you can imagine. There’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I lost it,” Smith told Noah.

“I was going through something that night ... not that that justifies my behavior at all. ... It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother … all of that just bubbled up in that moment. That’s not who I want to be.”