We now have some clarity on when, exactly, Chris Rock might break his silence on the Will Smith Oscars slap.
The comedian addressed the shocking Oscars moment during a comedy show in Palm Springs on Saturday, saying, “I’m OK, I have a whole show and I’m not talking about that until I get paid.”
Rock added for good measure: “Life is good. I got my hearing back,” according to the Desert Sun.
Rock was assaulted by Smith at the Oscars last month after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, being bald.
The comedian previously addressed the event at a comedy show just days after the Oscars, saying, “I don’t have a bunch of s— about what happened, so if you came to hear that, I have a whole show I wrote before this weekend,” Rock said. “I’m still kind of processing what happened. So, at some point I’ll talk about that shit. And it will be serious and funny.”
Rock’s most recent comments suggest he may write a comedy segment or special about the incident, or wait for a sitdown interview for which he’d be paid to discuss the assault. Or, of course, it’s entirely possible he was merely just joking.
While Smith initially left Rock out of his apology in his Oscar acceptance speech, which occurred a short while after the assault, he apologized to Rock by name the next day in a statement. The “King Richard” star resigned from the Academy last week, and last Friday the Academy announced it was banning Smith from attending Academy events – including Oscars ceremonies – for 10 years as a disciplinary action.
