Chris Rock reflected on the Will Smith Oscars slap four years later and made clear that he wished the incident had never happened.
The comedian also downplayed the importance of his own experience when he compared it with larger problems in the world. Rock did not use the interview to reignite his feud with Smith.
Chris Rock reflects on the Will Smith Oscars slap and reveals how he views the infamous incident four years later
When asked how he now felt about the Chris Rock Will Smith slap, Rock gave a restrained response to Variety.
“Hey, man. You know, to answer your question a little bit, I wish nothing would have happened,” he said.
Rock then shifted attention away from himself. He said he did not want his comments about Will Smith to overshadow Rosalind and her performance in the movie they were discussing.
“And also, I don’t want to say anything that takes any attention away from Rosalind and how good she is in this movie,” Rock explained.
The comedian also placed the Chris Rock Oscars slap within a broader perspective. He pointed to homelessness and other problems people faced around the world.
“It’s a crazy world. We walk by homeless people. There’s all sorts of shit going on right now,” he said.
Rock then suggested that his experience at the Oscars did not deserve the same level of attention as those larger issues.
“Me having a bad day is not the biggest — it’s not that important,” he added.
Smith slapped Rock during the Oscars four years before the interview. The moment became one of the most discussed incidents involving the two stars.
However, Rock’s latest comments did not include another attack on Smith. He instead expressed regret that the confrontation happened at all and resisted giving it greater importance.
The response also showed that Rock wanted to keep the conversation focused on his current work rather than return to the Chris Rock Will Smith Oscars controversy.
Four years later, Rock appeared more interested in putting the moment into perspective than continuing to center it in conversations about his career.
