57 yr old Chris Rock is breaking his silence for the first time about the Will Smith incident that happened at the Oscars.
Will Smith struck the comedian in the face on stage after Chris made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
According to People while at a show at The Wilbur in Boston Wednesday night, he addressed the ordeal, telling the audience, “I’m still processing what happened.”
A very rowdy crowd screamed Rock’s name before his first appearance since the 94th Academy Awards, according to an audience member.
The comedian then took the stage dressed in all white and received a standing ovation.
“What’s up, Boston?” he asked the crowd, before adding: “How was your weekend?!”
After Rock said that he was still “processing” what happened at this year’s Oscars, he told fans in the audience that he would probably talk about what happened at some point in a serious manner, according to the audience member, but that he had written a whole show full of jokes for Wednesday evening.
Following Sunday night’s altercation, ticket sales for Rock’s upcoming tour dates saw a spike in popularity, according to secondary ticket seller TickPick.
Rock sported a navy baseball cap and black winter jacket as he arrived at The Wilbur. About 20 onlookers called out to the performer, but he did not acknowledge them.
The Academy has started the disciplinary proceedings that Will Smith will face, they released a statement to that effect on Wednesday night after much deliberation.
They also mentioned that they asked Will Smith to leave the Oscars and he refused.
The Academy released a statement:
The Board of Governors today initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Smith for violations of the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, including inappropriate physical contact, abusive or threatening behavior, and compromising the integrity of the Academy.
Consistent with the Academy’s Standards of Conduct, as well as California law, Mr. Smith is being provided at least 15 days’ notice of a vote regarding his violations and sanctions and the opportunity to be heard beforehand by means of a written response.
At the next board meeting on April 18, the Academy may take any disciplinary action, which may include suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions permitted by the Bylaws and Standards of Conduct.
Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television.
Mr. Rock, we apologize to you for what you experienced on our stage and thank you for your resilience in that moment.
We also apologize to our nominees, guests and viewers for what transpired during what should have been a celebratory event.
Things unfolded in a way we could not have anticipated.
While we would like to clarify that Mr. Smith was asked to leave the ceremony and refused, we also recognize we could have handled the situation differently.
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