Chris Rock joked that he has “got his hearing back” after being slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars.
The 57-year-old comedian was struck by the ‘King Richard’ actor at the awards ceremony last month after he made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaven head.
Will has been banned by the Academy for 10 years as a result of the shocking incident but Chris poked fun at the situation during a recent performance in California.
According to the Desert Sun newspaper, the ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ star said: “I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid.
“Life is good. I got my hearing back.”
It was announced on Friday (08.04.22) that Will has been banned from attending the Oscars for the next decade as a result of the slap, although he was allowed to keep his Best Actor gong for his performance in ‘King Richard’.
In a statement released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said: “This action we are taking today in response to Will Smith’s behaviour is a step toward a larger goal of protecting the safety of our performers and guests, and restoring trust in the Academy. We also hope this can begin a time of healing and restoration for all involved and impacted.”
Will had already resigned from the Academy and apologised to Chris following a backlash after the incident and confirmed that he will “accept and respect” the decision to ban him from the Oscars.
The 53-year-old actor told Page Six: “I accept and respect the Academy’s decision.”
