Chris Rock jokingly compared his slap from Will Smith to last year’s attack on Paul Pelosi.
The comedian mentioned former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and her husband during the Kennedy Center Awards on Sunday (March 19), presenting Adam Sandler with the Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
“Paul Pelosi [is] the only guy who knows how I felt,” Rock said (via USA Today), comparing Will Smith’s hit at the 2022 Oscars to the attack on Pelosi in October 2022. “Just you and me, Paul.
Paul Pelosi suffered a fractured skull after an intruder broke into their house and demanded to know where Nancy was. After the attack, Pelosi had to undergo surgery.
Both Paul and Nancy Pelosi were present at the Kennedy Center when Rock joked.
In Rock’s new stand-up show for Netflix, Selective Outrage, the comedian spoke in detail about the incident at last year’s Oscars for the first time.
Speaking about his run-in with Smith, Rock said: “Everyone knows that it happened. I was banned a year ago. I got slapped at the Oscars by that bastard. And people are like, “Did it hurt?” It still hurts. Summertime is ringing in my ears.
He went on to say that “he was not a victim. You’ll never see me crying on Oprah’s show. It will never happen. I couldn’t believe it, and I liked The Men in Black. Nope! Fuck that shit, I took that punch like [boxer Manny] Pacquiao. Did it hurt? Yeah, motherfucker, it hurts.”
“I know you can’t tell on camera, but Will Smith is significantly bigger than me,” Rock continued. “He does movies without a shirt. You’ve never seen me do a movie without a shirt. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in the movie. Do you think I auditioned for this role?”
